00:00West Brom are preparing for a defining campaign under Ryan Mason
00:08who begins his first full season in charge with a clear brief
00:11stabilise the club and reignite their push towards the Premier League
00:16after seasons of near misses and inconsistency
00:19the pressure is on at the Hawthorns to build something sustainable and ambitious
00:24Mason has already made the move on the squad
00:28blending youth with experience and shifting the tactical approach
00:32to something more aggressive and possession focused
00:36the challenge now is to bring the quality to key areas while maintaining the core
00:41that pushed West Brom into the championship playoff picture last term
00:45with midfield control and attacking depth high on the agenda
00:49all eyes on how West Brom approach the transfer window
00:53and whether Mason can get his ideas across quickly
00:56in a fiercely competitive league
00:59we caught up with Charlie Haffenden of Birmingham World
01:02who shared insights on how West Brom are approaching this crucial summer
01:07where reinforcements are most needed and what's changing tactically
01:11as Mason shapes the club's ambitions ahead of a potentially transformative season
01:17So Charlie starting with West Bromwich Albion and obviously Ryan Mason
01:23appointed as the next manager
01:26a big statement I mean obviously he's a manager coming in
01:30and he's fresh ideas
01:32he's obviously got some fantastic experience in the top flight
01:35at the highest level
01:35you know he'd been tried to be poached before
01:38and he decided to stay on with Ange Postakar
01:40who obviously helped deliver that Europa League
01:43which was fantastic for them as a club
01:45I mean it all sort of makes sense you feel for all parties involved
01:49it gives him the chance
01:50it gives him a platform
01:51it gives West Brom maybe this ambition that they need to go on
01:55and have a bit of a fresh start maybe over the last couple of seasons
01:58obviously with Carlos Corbran's exit
02:00and then the return of Mowbray not quite working out
02:03and them falling short
02:04so just firstly your thoughts on Ryan Mason as manager
02:08and you know how are Albion fans feeling
02:11what's the feeling around the Hawthorns ahead of the new campaign?
02:14I think it's a feeling of excitement
02:17obviously it took so long to get the Tony Mowbray replacement in
02:20but I think it was a lot of patience and consideration
02:23even with Mowbray there was a lot of patience
02:25but they made the wrong decision ultimately
02:27and I think they wanted to make sure they made the right one this time around
02:29they knew that the playoffs were already kind of over for last season
02:33and I think if next season they don't get in the playoffs
02:36then this club could really just kind of be stalemated
02:39stagnated in the championship rather
02:42Ryan Mason he's not in a proper managerial role before
02:45and I think there are concerns over that
02:46however if you look at Chris Davies at Birmingham City
02:48also coming from Tottenham
02:50he's done so so well
02:52Ryan Mason as well very highly thought of
02:55amongst the Tottenham backroom staff
02:56Antiposti Koglu of course not at the club anymore
02:59but he really favoured having Mason amongst his coaching ranks
03:02of course he was the one who took interim charge of Spurs
03:05on a couple of occasions
03:06so there's obviously a lot of trust there
03:08is he ready for management it's difficult to say isn't it
03:11I think the jury will be out for quite a while
03:13but it's quite positive that he's got quite a few relationships at Tottenham
03:17potentially West Brom could take advantage of that in the transfer market
03:21the likes of Mikey Moore and Jamie Donnelly have already been linked for potential loan moves
03:25those would both be fantastic signings in my opinion
03:28for West Brom can really take them forward
03:30give them a bit of young energy into that team
03:32and I think just in terms of the squad overhaul
03:34it's likely to happen as well
03:36having someone like Mason in there who's quite raw
03:38he's still quite young
03:39seems to have a good tactical knowledge
03:41I know that managers aren't necessarily that involved in their recruitment at West Brom
03:45but I think they probably can tap into Mason's
03:48maybe not experience because he hasn't got that
03:51but he seems to have a decent mindset when it comes to it tactically
03:55not sure what the fee is exactly
03:57but it's likely to be pretty low
03:58so he only had a year left on his Liverpool contract
04:00and of course was only playing in the bottom end of the championship last season
04:03I think that's a decent addition
04:05they definitely will need to sign a new winger
04:07if it could be Mikey Moore on loan from Spurs
04:09I think that's probably the best option
04:10because it's low risk isn't it
04:12it's only a loan
04:13you're not spending a big transfer fee
04:14and then an attacking midfielder
04:16a bit more creativity in there
04:17but they might find that for a player
04:19who's already at the club
04:20Tami Abani who signed in the winter
04:23for £3 million
04:24didn't really get going because of fitness problems
04:26but with a proper pre-season under his belt
04:29he could have a good impact
04:30and he's supposed to be a very creative player
04:32Ryan Mason I think will have a little bit of money to spend this summer
04:35a little bit more than the likes of Mowbray and Corbran had in the past
04:38so yeah there could be quite a few exciting additions for West Brom
04:41and the team could look very different next season
04:43Thank you
04:49You
04:50You
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