West Brom must take urgent Carlos Corberan action as Southampton news emerges: View | OneFootball

Southampton are reportedly monitoring West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan as pressure builds on Russell Martin.

It has been an excellent start to the season for West Bromwich Albion in the Championship.

West Brom suffered heartbreak as they were beaten by Southampton in the play-off semi-finals last season but they look set to be among the promotion contenders once again this campaign.

The Baggies secured their fourth consecutive victory with a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle at The Hawthorns on Saturday, with Josh Maja's close-range finish in the 62nd minute sealing all three points for Carlos Corberan's side.

Albion currently sit top of the table after picking up 16 points from their first six games and they are back in action when they make the trip to face struggling Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday.

The Baggies are beginning to emerge as serious automatic promotion candidates but their impressive start to the season has not gone unnoticed by other clubs and interest in Corberan is increasing, which will no doubt be a huge concern for supporters.

Southampton monitoring Carlos Corberan

Corberan was linked with Burnley and Leicester City this summer but while he remained at The Hawthorns, it may not be long until Albion face another battle to hold on to their head coach.

The Spaniard was previously on the coaching staff at Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa and he was said to be on the Whites' radar last February after the sacking of Jesse Marsch but he instead signed a new deal with the Baggies.

With Daniel Farke under pressure at Elland Road after an inconsistent start to the season, it has been claimed that Leeds are still keeping tabs on Corberan but they are not believed to be considering making an imminent managerial change.

It seems that Corberan's list of suitors is continuing to increase, and according to the Sunday Mirror print edition (22 September, page 72), Southampton are another club monitoring the 41-year-old.

Russell Martin guided the Saints to promotion to the Premier League last season but they have picked up just one point from their first five games of the campaign in the top flight and the board are said to have concerns over the one-dimensional style of play, with Corberan being considered as a potential replacement.

It seems unlikely that Corberan would leave Albion with his side flying high at the top of the Championship and he stated his full commitment to the club during the summer.

After it was revealed in August that the Baggies were operating under an EFL-imposed business plan in order to avoid a breach of the league's financial rules, Corberan said that he was "prepared to face the most difficult challenge of my life as a coach", adding that he has a strong affection for the club and supporters.

However, a report from Football Insider last week claimed that Corberan has a £2 million release clause in his contract at The Hawthorns and that could be a problem for Albion as interest in his services grows.

£2 million feels an incredibly low release clause for a manager of Corberan's talent and it would be relatively easy for any Premier League club to meet that figure should they wish to make a move for the Baggies boss.

With that in mind, Albion must urgently open contract talks with Corberan, firstly in order to secure his long-term future at the club, but also to increase the release clause in his deal to give them more security.

Corberan has done an outstanding job with the Baggies since his arrival in October 2022, and he has established a reputation as one of the best managers in the Championship during that time, so it is inevitable that he will continue to attract attention from elsewhere, particularly if his side maintain their early season form.

It would be a huge blow for Albion if Corberan was to depart and the speculation over his future could prove to be damaging to their promotion push, providing an unwanted distraction that the club could certainly do without.

The opportunity to manage in the Premier League may be tempting for Corberan but Southampton look to be in danger of making an immediate return to the Championship, while it would make little sense to leave for a club in the same division in Leeds.

If Corberan feels that his side are capable of reaching the top flight and he is given assurances by owner Shilen Patel that he will be backed in future transfer windows, the Baggies could have a good chance of convincing him to extend his stay at The Hawthorns, and they should look to reach an agreement in the near future.