Carlos Corberan: Timing of Luton bid for West Brom's Alex Palmer 'not ideal' – but no agreement yet
Boss Carlos Corberan conceded the timing of a bid for number one Alex Palmer, understood to be from Premier League new boys Luton Town, has come as a blow for Albion.
Baggies first-choice Palmer is believed to be the subject of interest from the Hatters, who are yet to have a bid accepted by Albion.
Despite reports to the contrary it is understood Albion and Luton are not yet in agreement over a fee for the 26-year-old and the current bid for Palmer is higher than a £2.5million offer suggested.
Palmer was uninvolved as Corberan's side closed their pre-season friendly scheduled with a 4-3 defeat at Bolton, as Josh Griffiths played between the sticks.
Corberan said of the Palmer interest: "With Alex, the club has received an offer and now it's in the moment to evaluate the offer, for Alex and the club and to see if it's something positive for the club and keeper, or something that is not positive. Right now, it's best to play the players you know that are going to stay and play with the play with the players not involved in this mental process.
"I'm out of the process of negotiations so I don't know, I only know that the club received the offer, that contact has been made with the club. Now it's time to evaluate the offer, but that is out of my responsibility - my responsibility is with the team, to understand the moments we must play better in order to start the season the way I want us to.
"100 per cent agree (not ideal timing). We know that the market, when you don't control it the way you want...you have two positions in the market, you can proactive or reactive. This is a situation that I didn't expect but it happens in football. When it does we must show the right reaction, when those circumstances appear.
"I don't really want to talk about things that haven't yet happened – not only this, but in general, because I think the season arrives after the decision has been made. Alex is a West Bromwich player and until that situation changes, my mind won't change."
Albion are being forced to consider offers for all players due to the financial landscape, though the suggestion was that following Dara O'Shea's £7m switch to Burnley the club would be position to negotiate possible sales of key players.
The Hawthorns head coach admitted timings of approaches 'may not be perfect' and the challenges are increasing with such interest.
Asked about the moving on of players he would rather have kept, Corberan added: "Sometimes you can go to the market and be proactive. If you analyse the teams in the Premier League and Championship, depending on your budget and financial possibilities, you can go to the market and make movements.
"When you don't, and we have this challenge...we talk about this challenge with us, and with the fans, because it's important to know exactly that it's a different season.
"The timings aren't going to be perfect and the situation is that some players that we like are going to leave, but at the same time we need to adapt to the situation of the club. That's the summary. You want to create the most competitive squad, and as part of this process some changes are going to be made."
A Brandon Thomas-Asante brace and Jed Wallace goal was not enough at League One promotion-targeting Bolton, who struck a 95th-minute winner through Aaron Morley with Albion offering out gifts on goal seven days before the Championship campaign kicks off in this neck of the woods at Blackburn next Saturday.
