West Brom heading out of Premier League

In an effort to get fans on his side following his takeover of West Bromwich Albion, Chinese businessperson Lai Guochuan issued a personal message promising stability and continuity at the established Premier League club. “My immediate priorities,” he wrote to supporters in May 2016, “will be to maintain the club’s stable structure, respecting its well-run nature and its heritage.” Nearly two years later, West Brom is a mess, a club in disarray on and off the field, and seemingly sliding out of the most lucrative league in world soccer. Lai might just be wondering what he got himself into. The Premier League is witnessing one of the tightest relegation scraps in its 26-year history this season, with eight points separating ninth-place Everton and 19th-place Stoke. Below them all, though, is West Brom, which has been cut adrift in last place, seven points from safety with 10 games left and with only three wins to its name. Meanwhile, four of its players have just been disciplined for stealing a taxi during a warmweather training break in Barcelona, another player (Jay Rodriguez) has been charged with racially abusing an opponent during a game, and the club’s chief executive and chair were both recently fired. Manager Alan Pardew might be next out of the door, reportedly set to be fired if West Brom loses to Watford on Saturday. Then, Lai would be looking to appoint West Brom’s third manager of the season after firing Tony Pulis in November.