West Brom identify Millwall manager Alex Neil as potential Ryan Mason replacement | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion have targeted the manager of one of their Championship rivals as a potential replacement for the increasingly troubled Ryan Mason

West Brom have identified Millwall manager Alex Neil as a potential replacement for their increasingly under-fire boss Ryan Mason - despite tasting success this weekend for the first time in six matfches.

A 2-1 home win against Oxford United may have lifted the heat a little from under the feet of West Bromwich Albion head coach Mason, but according to reports this morning they've still identified a potential replacement for him in the event that results don't improve on a consistent basis.

Albion's win was their first in five games and lifted them to 14th place in the Championship table. Such is the congestion in the middle of the table that, although they remain in the bottom half of the table, they are still only four points short of a play-off place.

But winning games consistently has been an issue for Albion all season, and the Oxford win in itself may not be enough to quell the growing speculation that the club may feel the need to make a change just months after hiring Mason.

West Bromwich Albion target Alex Neil as a possible replacement for mis-firing Ryan Mason

Journalist Alan Nixon reports that West Bromwich Albion have identified the MIllwall manager Alex Neil as a potential replacement for Mason should results not improve.

He reports that "grumbles are growing at The Hawthorns", and that a change could be made should results not improve on a consistent basis, with the win over Oxford being the club's first for six matches.

Neil has been identified by Albion because of his achievements since taking the Lions job at the end of December 2024.

Millwall finished last season in eighth place in the Championship, and they're currently sixth in the current standings going into the final international break of 2025 following a 1-1 draw with the Scotsman's former club Preston North End.

Nixon reports that Neil may not come cheap, should West Brom choose to make their move, but that the manager - who has previously managed, among others, PNE, Sunderland and Stoke City - still has his base in Lancashire, and that this means that the position could appeal as a closer to home option than his current job.

It is not the first time Neil has been linked to West Brom. Whilst Preston manager in 2019, he was heavily linked to the vacancy at the West Midlands outfit, and after the Lilywhites were battered 4-1 by Albion in April of that year, he suggested that the speculation linking him to the job had affected his squad.

However, just a day later, Neil penned a new contract at Deepdale, ending any talk of him moving to West Brom - that link though has emerged nearly six-and-a-half years later.

Alex Neil's Millwall achievements were always going to attract the interest of other clubs

Alex Neil's achievements since taking over as the Millwall manager were always going to make him a viable candidate for another job.

He was recruited into the position at the end of December 2024 as a replacement for Neil Harris, who stood down from the position earlier in the month.

Neil managed to steer the Lions to eighth place in the Championship at the end of last season, a considerable achievement even if it did fall short of a play-off place. Millwall have made a solid start to the new season and have already established themselves as play-off contenders.

Ryan Mason has been coming under increasing fire at West Bromwich Albion following a start to the season which has not gone as planned. After winning three of their first four matches and climbing as high as second place in the table, Albion have tailed off dramatically, having won just three of the 11 games that they've played since.

They had to come from behind to beat Oxford United, winning the match with a second half goal from Aune Heggebø, but he may need to get more wins under the club's belt after the international break.

Winning that match alone may not have been enough to quell concerns about Mason, and with just over seven weeks left until the January transfer window opens, the club's senior management may have one eye on being sure that they have the right man for the job in place by then for recruitment purposes.

But Millwall will be unlikely to give up Neil without a fight. He's been successful since arriving at The Den, and only signed a contract extension with the club at the start of June 2025. Such a move from a rival club would clearly a significant disruption to their season and they may demand substantial compensation, should West Brom make a move.

But heading into the international break, it's clear that the growing discontent at The Hawthorns won't have been completely quelled by one win. West Bromwich Albion will have been expecting more following a busy summer in the transfer market. Ryan Mason will need more of the same that his team delivered against Oxford if he's to still be in place by the time the January transfer window opens.