4 managers West Brom must consider after Tony Mowbray sack call - ex-Liverpool coach features | OneFootball

The Baggies have come to the decision to part ways with Mowbray in his second stint, with Shilen Patel now on the hunt for his successor

Tony Mowbray's return to West Brom has not gone as planned, with the veteran boss sacked with just two matches of the 2024-25 season remaining.

The 61-year-old won promotion with the Baggies in the 2007-08 season as they lifted the Championship title, and despite being relegated from the Premier League the following year, Mowbray was still popular with the fanbase, even when he departed for Celtic not too long after.

Brought in to replace Carlos Corberan back in January, Mowbray's second coming has seen West Brom drop away from play-off contention, and with their season all-but finished, owner Shilen Patel has decided to make a change.

With a new manager unlikely to be appointed until prior to pre-season, West Brom's hierarchy will have the time to assess their options; let's take a look at FOUR men who should be on their radar.

Steve Cooper

If West Brom's board are going to be looking for Championship experience, then they should probably be looking no further than Steve Cooper.

A man who is no stranger to the Midlands, albeit the eastern side of it having managed both Leicester City and Nottingham Forest, the Welshman has plenty of positives within his CV for the job he did at Swansea City, as well as taking Forest to the Premier League via the play-offs.

Without a job though after being sacked by Leicester in 2024, Cooper could be ready to return to work in time for the start of next season, and if he's presented the tools to make the job work, then the 45-year-old could be the ideal fit.

Raphael Wicky

Not many of the other domestic choices look to be the most appeasing if West Brom try and go down that route, but they could always go the other way and look for an overseas option.

If they do, then the most obvious choice would be that of Raphael Wicky, who came close to landing the vacancy earlier in the year, only for talks to fall through due to reported complications over bringing his coaching staff into the club.

But if it's possible for those issues to be ironed out, then Swiss coach Wicky has to be one of the viable choices, and the 47-year-old has decent pedigree.

He played 75 times for Switzerland's national team before moving into coaching, and has spent time at Basel, Chicago Fire and BSC Young Boys, winning the Swiss Super League with the latter in 2022-23 - he would certainly be somewhat of a trendy choice.

Pep Lijnders

This name is probably familiar not for being a manager, but for being the number of two of Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, but Pep Lijnders perhaps deserves another crack at being a number one.

The Dutchman branched out last summer following Klopp's departure from Anfield, where he subsequently took on the head coach role at Red Bull Salzburg - it did not end well though as he was sacked in December 2024, after less than six months in charge.

A 44.8 per cent win record at the Austrian outfit is by no means awful, but league performances saw them cut adrift at the halfway stage, leading to the board making a change - that should not define the 42-year-old though, who could potentially be considered by Albion as a long-term, modern fit, although he may need an experienced assistant by his side.

Maarten Martens

A more obscure name who could potentially be headhunted is that of Maarten Martens, who is currently managing AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands.

The 40-year-old Belgian, who played for AZ more than any other club in his on-field days, stepped into the head coach role in 2024 after managing their reserve side for two years, and he has done a pretty good job on the face of it.