West Bromwich Albion are very much dreaming of a return to the promised land of the Premier League, with the Baggies just steadily going about their business in the Championship playoff mix at the moment.
Carlos Corberan's men look secure sitting in a comfortable fifth spot when looking at the current second-tier standings, the Spanish manager occupying the Hawthorns dug-out knowing that he can rely on a string of first-teamers to continue delivering results even as the pressure rises.
Yet, there are a couple of faces in the West Midlands who are just lurking in the background at this moment in time who, as a result, are burning a hole in the Championship club's pocket by not playing regularly.
Nathaniel Chalobah's wage at West Brom
Nathaniel Chalobah might well have amassed 30 appearances for the Baggies when you scratch the surface, but the fair majority of those minutes have primarily come from off the bench.
Indeed, the former Chelsea youth product has only started six of those games with his average amount of minutes per match coming in at a meagre 27.
Therefore, his wage looks rather excessive when you consider his on-the-fringes presence in the shadow of Okay Yokuslu and Alex Mowatt in the holding midfield positions.
Chalobah rakes in a hefty £20k-per-week according to Capology, despite his last start for the West Midlands outfit coming all the way back in mid-February against Plymouth Argyle and West Brom's last two Championship clashes seeing him just stay put on the bench.
When you examine who is earning less than the 29-year-old midfielder further, his pay packet looks more and more excessive especially with Alex Palmer – who boasts the second most clean sheets this season in the second tier – earning half of what Chalobah does.
Nathaniel Chalobah's wage compared to the West Brom squad
Palmer finds himself earning £10.9k compared to Chalobah's superior £20k, a startling difference when you look at how crucial the Baggies shot-stopper has been for his side this season.
The 27-year-old goalkeeper has made a combined ten saves in his last two Championship outings, only conceding one in the process as Corberan's men romped home to 4-1 and 2-0 wins respectively.
Amazingly, Palmer won't be the only key first-teamer who feels drastically underpaid now – dependable full-backs Conor Townsend and Darnell Furlong come in as earning £11.5k and £18.4k per week, despite making 76 appearances in all competitions between them this campaign.
With Chalobah's contract coming to an end this summer, it wouldn't be a great shock to see West Brom let the ex-Chelsea man leave to find a replacement who doesn't hurt their bank account as much.
1. Adam Reach
£40k per week
2. Daryl Dike
£32.3k per week
3. Jed Wallace
£25k per week
4. Okay Yokuslu
£25k per week
5. Alex Mowatt
£22.8k per week
Sourced by Capology
Chalobah just misses out on being in the top five list of West Brom earners as can be seen above, Mowatt pocketing just £2.8k more per week despite being a regular fixture in Corberan's starting lineups.
Adam Reach and Daryl Dike will no doubt be fearing the same fate as Chalobah currently, with the Baggies duo also suffering from having an extortionate wage despite not being crucial players anymore through recurring injury issues and stronger players than taking their spot.
West Brom may have to ditch a player who earns £28k-p/w more than Townsend
West Bromwich Albion will look to axe this high earner in the summer.
ByKelan SarsonMar 18, 2024
Away from who earns what, Corberan's troops will be focused on winning promotion before any talk begins to emerge about who is leaving in the summer or not.
