West Brom taking time to get appointment right
Albion are hunting for a long-term appointment as the search to replace Steve Bruce gathers pace – with Carlos Corberan a contender.
It is understood the club are looking for a manager to build foundations and stabilise matters at The Hawthorns following a tumultuous couple of years.
Albion are keen on a manager on the way up, who, while ideally achieving positive results in the short-term, can settle the club down and provide a platform to rebuild over the years to come – rather than provide a short-term fix to a side in the Championship drop zone.
Spaniard Corberan, 39, worked under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds before he took Huddersfield to the Championship play-offs last season. He has since managed Olympiacos, but was sacked early into his tenure in Greece. Corberan is out of work and fits the profile as chief executive Ron Gourlay assesses applicants and candidates.
The club are in no rush to appoint, given the magnitude of the decision, with the stable caretaker team of Richard Beale, James Morrison, Gary Walsh and Chris Brunt looking after first-team affairs in the meantime.
Wigan manager Leam Richardson, 42, has impressed having got the Latics back up to the Championship and settled well into life in the second tier.
Richardson shot to favourite with the bookmakers yesterday.
He has worked well on a modest budget at the DW Stadium, as has Millwall boss and ex-Blues and Derby manager Gary Rowett, who has also been linked.
It it is believed Chris Wilder is another who has been discussed in connection with the role.
The former Sheffield United boss was almost appointed at The Hawthorns in 2021, but owner Guochuan Lai vetoed the move at the 11th hour and the club appointed Valerien Ismael, which casts some doubt on whether his appointment would be achievable.
Former Burnley chief Sean Dyche was voted by Albion fans as their favourite choice to replace Bruce, with 55 per cent of the votes cast.
It is believed, however, that Dyche is not interested in the vacant Baggies post and is holding out for a Premier League role.
Former Sunderland and Ipswich manager Roy Keane, who has been out of management since 2011, was initially posted as favourite in the odds but the TV pundit revealed links were ‘absolutely rubbish’.
