"High up on the list" - Steve Cooper claim made as West Brom manager hunt begins | OneFootball

West Brom are on the hunt for a new manager

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

West Brom are on the search for a new manager following their dismissal of Tony Mowbray after their 3-1 defeat to relegation-threatened Derby County, which all but confirmed a finish outside the top six for the Baggies.

West Brom now sit six points off the play-offs with two games remaining, and have lost five of their last six.

Life after Carlos Corberan has been a struggle, with just five wins in 18 games under Mowbray, and now West Brom will be on the hunt for a new man to try and lead them back to the Premier League for the first time since the 2020/21 season.

The Baggies are still recognised as a major player in the Championship, and will be expected to bring in a new boss who has plenty of Championship pedigree, and FLW's West Brom fan pundit, Callum Burgess, feels that Steve Cooper should be atop the list of potential hires.

Steve Cooper should lead a promising list of prospective West Brom bosses, according to fan pundit

When asked about who his early preferred choice to replace Tony Mowbray in the West Brom dugout would be, Callum believes that there are "quite a few decent options when you think about those who are available."

But his preferred choice would be former Leicester City boss Steve Cooper, who has finished in the play-offs in each of his three seasons in the Championship with Swansea City and Nottingham Forest.

"His tenure at Leicester was cut very short, and he may be wanting a Premier League job to prove his worth," Callum said. "But if he was willing to talk to Albion, I'd be on board with him."

If Cooper did snub a return to the Championship, managers such as Russell Martin, Danny Rhol and Raphael Wicky, the latter close to joining the Baggies after Corberan departed, were touted as good suitors.

Callum continued: "Russel Martin's available, but he does have a hit-and-miss relationship with the Albion fans. I still think he's a decent manager - he's not someone I'd be opposed to.

"Danny Rhol would be high up on my list if he doesn't go to Leicester or Southampton, but he may be an unrealistic choice as he'll have many suitors not just in England but in Europe in general.

"Raphael Wicky came close to getting the Albion job in January, but it fell short when vias for his coaching staff were unable to be done in time. Could that be someone who West Brom return to?

"Personally, Steve Cooper would be high up on the list."

West Brom's next managerial appointment needs to be perfect

It's a known belief that getting out of the Championship becomes increasingly harder the longer you're in it. With West Brom looking to embark on a fifth consecutive season in the second tier, parachute payments are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Therefore, if West Brom don't have the finances compared to some of the sides coming down from the Premier League, they need to perform well on the pitch with what they've got, and having a good man in the dugout will go a long way in doing that.

Both Steve Cooper and Russell Martin know what it takes to get sides in the Premier League and, if either of them are appointed, West Brom fans should feel optimistic about top-flight football returning sooner rather than later.