After years of decline under former owner Guochuan Lai that had seen the club slip out of the Premier League, take out loans for the day to day running of the club and cause fan unrest - their US saviour arrived.
Businessman Patel and Bilkul Football stepped in to turn around the fortunes of Albion. In a year and a half, they have done that and more.
Albion may still be a Championship club - but they are in a healthy place. Whether it has been paying off debts, investing in the infrastructure or bolstering the playing squad, Patel and co have made a huge impact on Albion.
However, it may not have happened in the way it has.
[Speaking to the Price of Football podcast with football finance expert Kieran Maguire](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/interview-west-brom-majority-shareholder-and-chairman/id1482886394?i=1000722020548) - Patel touched on a range of subjects from his Albion takeover, to English football, PSR rules and much more.
And the Albion owner, who first moved into football with a minority stake in Bologna before his Baggies takeover, revealed he was looking at a different area of English football before this deal came to him.
He also stated that he was concerned he may be priced out of the game in England - prior to his Hawthorns takeover.
He said: "I had my first opportunity to dip my toe in a decade ago, and I always wanted to be influential in the future of a club, and find the right way to be in a club and the right club to be involved in.
"As far as Albion goes, it was not something I was looking at from the outside.
"I was looking at opportunities in football and had a goal of maybe starting with a kind of smaller club in a smaller league and building upwards.
"I honestly thought I'd be priced out England based on the parameters that were set and what made sense as an acquisition.
"Then one day this opportunity came across my desk and it really met everything I wanted it to.
"It exceeded the expectations given what I was expecting and all the external turmoil that you were seeing from the outside."
Patel's move to take over at Albion began months in advance of the deal - as he flew to the region to check out what he could potentially be buying.
Impressed with the ground and other infrastructure at the club - Patel then looked at the loan situation that had been circling around Albion.
Shilen Patel first appeared in front of supporters before a clash with Southampton
In December 2022, former owner Lai had taken out a £20m loan from American firm MSD Holdings to aid the club. That was then increased 'to support the ongoing funding of the football club’s general business operations', while Lai found a buyer.
Then Patel emerged - but he explained that his conversations with the lender were key to any deal. A positive outcome and their intentions for Albion, were a big part of the purchase.
He said: "The red flags were the obvious ones you could see in the accounts, and you could quickly extrapolate the reasons for getting into that situation.
"Then we had to underwrite how much it took to get out of that situation and make ourselves comfortable with it.
"Our first conversation before we spoke to the seller was with the lender and understanding the loan, their mindset regarding the club.
"It was a positive conversation with MSD Capital, they were bullish on the future and underlying potential of the club.
"They were excited by the prospect of his coming in and intent on bringing the club back to prior levels of success and sustainability.
"The terms of the loan are public and they were not great terms, but we did feel there was a path forward with the lender, and they were not going to rack us with covenants, they would let us do what was needed to rehabilitate the club."