On 16 December 2020, Albion parted company with head coach Slaven Bilić, after winning one of the first 13 league games.[3]Sam Allardyce was confirmed as his successor later that day, with the former England manager taking charge of his eighth Premier League club, a competition record.[4]
West Brom were relegated back to the Championship, after just one season in the Premier League, following an away defeat to Arsenal on 9 May 2021.[5] This equalled Norwich City's record of five Premier League relegations and was the first time that a team managed by Sam Allardyce had been relegated from the top flight.[6]
Background
Prior to the start of the season, sports journalists were pessimistic about West Bromwich Albion's chances of surviving relegation. Phil McNulty, the BBC's chief football writer, thought that Albion would finish in 19th place,[7] while Henry Winter of The Times also forecast relegation.[8]The Guardian predicted a 20th-place finish, while identifying Matheus Pereira as Albion's key player.[9]
Restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom created uncertainty surrounding the reintroduction of supporters to football stadia. As a result, the club did not issue full season tickets in 2020–21.[10]
Albion unveiled three new kits for the season, designed in tribute to the "barcode" design worn by the club's promotion winning team of 1992–93.[11] The home kit featured navy blue and white striped shirts, white shorts and navy blue socks,[12] while the away colours comprised green and yellow striped shirts, green shorts and yellow socks.[13] The third kit was made up of red and yellow stripes, red shorts and yellow socks.[11] The kits were manufactured by Puma and were sponsored by Ideal Boilers.[12] Alongside all other Premier League clubs, West Bromwich Albion's players wore a "No Room For Racism" badge on their shirts; this replaced the "Black Lives Matter" badges worn at the end of the previous Premier League season.[14]
First-team squad
As of 26 January 2021
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Following their promotion from the 2019–20 EFL Championship, West Bromwich Albion are competing in the 2020–21 Premier League, the 29th season of English football's top division since its breakaway from the Football League in 1992. It is Albion's 13th season in the Premier League, 81st season in the top division of English football and their 122nd season of league football in all.[64]
Source: Premier League Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) If the champions, relegated teams or qualified teams for UEFA competitions cannot be determined by rules 1 to 3, rules 4.1 to 4.3 are applied – 4.1) Points gained in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.2) Away goals scored in head-to-head record between such teams; 4.3) Play-offs[66] (R) Relegated
^Seasons in the top division includes those in the Premier League (1992–93 onwards) and Football League First Division (1991–92 and prior). The total of league seasons does not include the partial season of 1939–40, which was abandoned after just a few games due to the outbreak of the Second World War and all results annulled.
