Sky Sports pundit tips Steve Cooper for West Brom job on one condition | OneFootball

Don Goodman discussed the managerial vacancy at West Brom and believes that Steve Cooper is the obvious candidate

Don Goodman believes that Steve Cooper is the obvious candidate for the vacant West Brom job, but whether he wants it or not will come down to the resources made available to him, rather than the wages he'll be paid.

The Baggies are currently searching for a new boss after Carlos Corberan departed for Spanish giants Valencia, and it'll be an attractive job for potential candidates, with the club currently sat in the Championship play-off places.

Usually, when a managerial vacancy opens up in the Championship it's because a club is struggling, but it's quite the opposite at West Brom, and you'd have thought that managers would relish the chance to try and reach the Premier League with the Baggies.

Interim coaches Chris Brunt, Damia Abella and Boaz Myhill have done a decent job so far, but West Brom supporters will hope for an appointment in the near future, and with no Championship games until the 18th January, they have time to get their appointment right.

Don Goodman on the managerial vacancy at West Brom

Goodman, who works as an EFL pundit for Sky Sports, believes that Cooper is the obvious choice for West Brom after being sacked by Leicester City, but he also believes that the Baggies may gamble on a lesser-known name from overseas.

Speaking via Plemjo.com, Goodman said: "You'd hope West Bromwich Albion will have a manager in place for their game against Stoke on the 18th.

"The question I've got is about how attractive the job is. That will depend on factors such as the resources any new manager will have, how FFP is looking, how much can be invested now or whether they'll have to wait until the summer.

"Do they want experience or are they going to gamble on a coach from overseas? Steve Cooper is an obvious choice for me, and he's out of work. To get him, however, they'd have to make it an attractive proposition and I don't mean in terms of what he'll be paid but whether he can be convinced that Albion can challenge for promotion. There are lots of unknowns and lots of variables.

"Carlos Corberan was a bit of an unknown before he joined Huddersfield. Look at Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds and Daniel Farke at Norwich City, too. You never know what a manager can do before giving them a chance."

West Brom job could be an attractive prospect for Steve Cooper

After an unsuccessful spell at Leicester City, it remains to be seen whether Cooper will get another Premier League job anytime soon, and taking a club up from the Championship could be his best chance of reaching the top-flight again.

The Welshman was briefly linked with the Cardiff City job towards the end of 2024, and it emerged that he was "setting his sights higher up the pyramid" with the Bluebirds in the Championship relegation zone.

While West Brom are in the same division as Cardiff, the Baggies are in contention to reach the play-offs, and anything can happen from there, as Cooper will know.

Cooper's Championship record speaks for itself, reaching the play-offs in all three of his seasons managing in the division, and taking Nottingham Forest to the Premier League in 2022.

The former Swansea boss would surely be confident that he could take the Baggies back to the Premier League, and it could be a good way to rebuild his reputation after a disappointing spell at Leicester.