”Having spoken to him recently” - Carlton Palmer reacts to West Brom, Tony Mowbray news | OneFootball

Mowbray has been linked with a potential return to B71

Carlton Palmer believes that a return to West Bromwich Albion for Tony Mowbray would be a smart appointment for the West Midlands outfit, as the 61-year-old eyes up a managerial comeback.

The Baggies have been without a permanent boss since Christmas Eve, when it was announced that Carlos Corberan, who earned a reputation as one of the Championship's top tacticians, would take the reins at his hometown club, Valencia, in a bid to preserve their La Liga status amid financial issues.

A whole host of replacements have been lined up and spoken to the club since, with the most notable being former BSC Young Boys head coach, Raphael Wicky, and Erik ten Hag's former assistant at Manchester United, Rene Hake.

However, whilst Wicky looked set to take the reins at The Hawthorns, it was confirmed earlier in the week that talks had broken down over a disagreement relating to backroom staff.

It was then announced that Hake would not be involved in further talks with the Albion hierarchy, and now reports from the Express and Star state that Shilen Patel could still "mount a bid" for Mowbray, who has already spoken to chiefs at his former club.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, the former Albion defender-turned pundit, Palmer, has revealed that he spoke to Mowbray recently regarding his return to management, having departed local rivals Birmingham City last year as a result of bowel cancer diagnosis.

It has since been reported that, after a break from the dugout in order to recover, Mowbray is keen to make a swift return, with his health in a much better position.

Furthermore, Palmer believes the knowledge which the former Baggies boss, who won the Championship title with the club in 2008, would give the club a strong chance of making the play-offs for a second successive season.

"Rumours are circulating that former West Brom manager Tony Mowbray could make a surprise return to the club," he began.

"First and foremost, it's fantastic news that he's recovered from his cancer issues. He's a fantastic bloke and a fantastic coach."

"They (West Brom) were looking to appoint Raphael Wicky. It didn't work out, for one reason or another and they need to appoint a manager," the pundit added.

"They want to get the right manager in. Tony Mowbray is a very successful manager, he's brilliant with young players, and everywhere he's been he's done well," Palmer stated.

"He guided Blackburn back to the Championship and left them in a much better place, he did a top job at Sunderland following the shock exit of Alex Neil and was able to guide the Wearside club to a top-six finish at the end of the 22/23 campaign."

"He took charge of Birmingham City, but has come back after battling cancer, and I think he's a safe pair of hands," the former England international continued.

"Having spoken to him recently, I know he was looking for a return to the hotseat if the right opportunity came up."

And, I think, as long as things were in place for Tony to do the job - he's used to working on a shoestring and developing young players - I think it would be a fantastic decision to bring him back to the football club."

Palmer concluded: "Given the position West Brom are in, it will be difficult to get anywhere near the top two. But, he could certainly cement a play-off place, and once you're in those play-offs, anything can happen."

Tony Mowbray return would be a smart decision for West Bromwich Albion

Given the predicament West Brom currently find themselves in, which is narrowly outside the top six after Blackburn's midweek victory over Portsmouth, there are far worse options than Mowbray for the club to source.

Part of the reason many believed Corberan was so successful in B71 was pushing a thin squad, which, arguably, isn't one of the strongest in the Championship on paper, to their maximum, which is a trait Mowbray is also associated with.

His pre-established connections with the Albion fanbase after guiding the club to promotion 17 years ago means that the majority are seemingly in favour of this appointment, and given his successes at several other EFL sides since, such a decision would be more-than validated.

Mowbray would be able to generate an exciting style of play with a side that is filled with creative technicians such as Alex Mowatt, Mikey Johnston and Tom Fellows, although he would be without the services of Josh Maja for sometime after it was revealed the Nigerian forward and Championship's second-highest scorer will miss "several weeks" of action following a lower-leg injury.

Therefore, if an appointment was to be made as soon as possible, Mowbray will hope that he can be backed with some resources in the transfer market, although on the flipside, it gives him the chance to improve the form of Devante Cole, who has struggled since his summer arrival.