What Steven Gerrard has said about returning to management amid clear West Brom warning | OneFootball

FLW reviews Steven Gerrard’s take on returning to management amid being linked with the vacant West Brom job.

West Brom are on the lookout for a new manager after parting ways with Ryan Mason earlier this week, and there will undoubtedly be an abundance of options on Albion's shortlist.

The ex-Tottenham and Hull City midfielder’s last game in the Albion dugout was a 2-1 defeat at Leicester City, where the Baggies were very unfortunate to be on the losing side after being so dominant in the second period.

But a thumping volley from Abdul Fatawu right at the death condemned the Black Country outfit to a 10th straight defeat on the road, matching a club record that was set 99 years ago.

It left Mason’s position untenable, with controlling shareholder Shilen Patel now searching for his third permanent manager since Carlos Corberan exited the club in December 2024.

Mason leaves Albion languishing 18th in the Championship table and seven points off the bottom three, although promotion is not out of the question either, as the Black Country outfit sit just 10 points outside the top six.

Of course, rumours will continue to swirl over who will be the next man to take over the hotseat at The Hawthorns, with FLW previously listing the likes of Michael Carrick, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Russell Martin as figures Albion should target.

But another potential candidate has cropped up in the form of ex-Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard, who could embark on his maiden Championship campaign as he continues his foray into management.

Gerrard is coming off the back of a two-year spell in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq, while he has also managed Aston Villa and Rangers. He was close to landing the Gers job for the second time in November 2025 too, before ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl was appointed.

But, when asked if he would want Albion to consider an approach for the 45-year-old, FLW's West Brom fan pundit - Callum Burgess - has urged Albion on the side of caution with Gerrard, questioning whether it would be a popular appointment among the fanbase.

Callum told FLW: "The issue I've got with Steven Gerrard is he's just spent a period of time managing in Saudi. So, with that in mind, you struggle to see where his motivation would lie.

"Does he have the desire to take on a challenge at West Brom? Take them through the league and, first of all, restoring some balance to our team. I think that the thing that brought him most success at Rangers was having Mick Beale, which he did in his last job at Al-Ettifaq.

"He didn't have him with him at Aston Villa (after Beale joined QPR in June 2022), which is where things went particularly pear-shaped. I think that, with the Villa connection in mind, that'd probably get him off to a bad start immediately, where some fans will be hesitant to get on board with him, and I think that it'd be one I'd be 50/50 on."

In what could be an appointment that divides opinion, FLW looks back at the former England international's comments on a return to management towards the end of last year.

Speaking in October 2025 with Rio Ferdinand on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Steven Gerrard admitted that he has learned from the mistakes made during his previous managerial spells and believes he has “unfinished business” in management to be a success.

Gerrard said: “I know where I’m strong, and I know there are areas where I need good support and I need special skill sets to make me better and stronger in terms of my staff and my group. I feel like I had that to a tee at Rangers, but there were a lot of coach changes at Aston Villa and over in Saudi that I don’t think helped me from a personal point of view.

“Now I’m enjoying family time and doing a lot of things that I haven’t been able to do, like going to Grand Prix’s, doing exhibition games with ex-teammates and superstars. That type of stuff has been great.

“But there’s a part of me that still feels there’s a bit of unfinished business in terms of wanting to go in and face a couple more exciting challenges, but I want a certain type of challenge. If in an ideal world, they become available, I’ll jump at them. If they don’t, I won’t go back in.

“I want to be at a team that is going to compete to win because I think that suits me better.”

With the position West Brom currently find themselves in, a safe pair of hands is exactly what they need to ensure that they look up the table rather than over their shoulders in the coming weeks and months.

Therefore, a move for someone like Steven Gerrard, who has had no prior experience of managing in the Championship, is a bold move to make, particularly when Ryan Mason wasn’t accustomed to the second-tier on the sidelines either.

His managerial record doesn’t exactly inspire confidence too. Although he was a success at Rangers, Gerrard lasted just 11 months in the Aston Villa job, recording only 13 wins in 40 games. Meanwhile, at Al-Ettifaq, he led them to a sixth-place finish during his first season, but departed the following term with the club 12th in a 16-team league, and winning just 23 of his 59 matches in charge.

On the other hand, Frank Lampard has shown that he can prove the doubters wrong following his excellent spell in charge so far at Coventry City, helping the Sky Blues have a great chance of securing a place in the Premier League next season, so there’s no reason why Gerrard can’t prove his abilities as a manager himself after a couple of rough spells.

Perhaps most importantly, his long-time assistant Michael Beale is also available and would likely join Gerrard if he landed the role at The Hawthorns, and given the success the duo found in Scotland, that could be the secret to success to help turn West Brom around.

Overall, there’s pros and cons to Gerrard, like every other manager linked with, but Albion may benefit at this stage of the season by appointing someone who at least has some experience managing in this division and possesses the leadership qualities to inspire a squad that is deeply lacking in confidence.

An appointment of Gerrard may be too risky and could jeopardise their second-tier status, so the hierarchy need to think carefully and bring a replacement in who can give the Baggies a shot of making a late charge for the top six, rather than slipping through the League One trapdoor.