West Bromwich Albion’s Championship season has been chaotic on the pitch, with three different permanent or interim head coaches, and the Baggies are now facing an uncomfortable off-pitch problem as well.

The West Midlands club has been fighting to avoid relegation to League One for the first time since 1993, owing to largely poor form in the final weeks of Ryan Mason’s tenure and the entirety of Eric Ramsay’s, while interim manager James Morrison has his side unbeaten in seven matches.

Despite a credible goalless draw against promotion-chasing Millwall at The Hawthorns in their most recent outing, other results over the weekend did not go the Baggies’ way, adding to the tension felt by those associated with the B71 club, who sit two places and as many points above the Championship relegation zone with four games to play.

However, a significant surprise emerged earlier this week when it was announced that Albion had been accused of a’minor’ infraction of the EFL’s Profitability and Sustainability criteria, raising the prospect of a points deduction.

If imposed, Morrison’s side will become the third Championship team to be fined points this season, following Sheffield Wednesday’s 18-point deduction for two different incidents in late 2025 and Leicester City’s six-point punishment in February for a well-documented PSR infraction.

Unsurprisingly, much has been made of the alarming situation, including a statement from West Brom as a club, and a new twist has surfaced in this drama that might have far-reaching implications for the relegation struggle.

A new twist develops as West Brom face potential points deduction from the EFL.

Shilen Patel presently owns Albion, having completed a £60 million buyout in February 2024.

Only a few months later, it was reported that the Baggies will adhere to an EFL-imposed stringent business plan in order to avoid violating PSR requirements.

However, in a thorough investigation outlining the alleged PSR breach, the Telegraph discovered that the club had lost £55.6 million since July 2022, significantly above the three-year loss limit of £39 million now set by EFL regulations.

Albion has now restated the attitude implied by the PSR guidelines, stating that they are in frequent contact with the EFL’s Club Financial Reporting Unit.

While it has been suggested that they could be deducted two or three points, the saga may not be decided until the end of the season, and Alan Nixon has now clarified the position.

The journalist has said that he spoke with two ‘well-informed Championship sources’ who have provided their perspectives on developments.

Both have stated that the independent case relevant to this hearing has already taken place, and the report also states that the Baggies leadership should have been made aware of this and so had the right to appeal.

It has also been suggested that the timing of the events is causing the EFL problems.

According to the article, this situation is similar to when Derby County was fined – reportedly £100,000 – in June 2021 after being found guilty of violating PSR rules, though the punishment this time will be a deduction.

According to EFL criteria, the penalty must be inferred this season as well, as the costs are related to West Brom’s financial statements for the 2024/25 season.

James Morrison and his West Brom players will be unhappy with the timing of the PSR saga.

As previously said, the timing of the saga has only fueled the flames, as the club’s Championship status is far from guaranteed.

Morrison and his players have significantly improved their performance and results in recent weeks, taking points from Millwall, Southampton, Hull City, and Wrexham, all of whom are still in promotion contention.

As a result, knowing that their on-field efforts may not be enough to avoid the drop could be a huge psychological blow, but it could also be used as extra fuel to search for crucial wins, implying that a points deduction has no significant impact other than dropping places outside the bottom three.

Given the nature of how events have unfolded, it would be no surprise to see Albion fans share their frustrations in the stands as they face Preston North End at Deepdale on Saturday afternoon.