"I wouldn’t be against it" - West Brom backed to appoint top-flight manager | OneFootball

FLW's West Brom fan pundit has given his verdict on links to St. Pauli manager Alexander Blessin

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…

Alexander Blessin has emerged as a potential candidate to take over at West Brom this summer.

According to Darren Witcoop, the St. Pauli boss is of interest to the Championship side over possibly becoming the next manager at the Hawthorns.

The Baggies are currently searching for a permanent replacement for Tony Mowbray, who was dismissed earlier this month.

West Brom will be hoping the next appointment can guide them to a promotion push next year, having fallen out of the play-offs under the 61-year-old.

Blessin verdict amid West Brom links

When asked about the prospect of Blessin joining the club, FLW’s West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess claimed it could be a solid appointment.

While his preference remains QPR manager Martí Cifuentes, he would be open to bringing in the 51-year-old.

“I don’t think that it’s an unrealistic idea that he might leave St. Pauli, who got promoted from the second division in Germanylast season,” Burgess told Football League World.

“It looks like they’ve had a decent enough season in the Bundesliga, where it looks like they’re going to be able to steer clear of trouble as we head into the last few games of the season.

“And while I can’t say I’ve watched St. Pauli much, to be able to keep them in the top division after being promoted, losing Fabian Hurzeler to Brighton, I’d say that’s probably a decent enough season, where teams might be looking at him and thinking it might be worth taking an opportunity on him as a manager.

“I wouldn’t say I prefer him to Cifuentes, but it’s probably one of the couple options where I wouldn’t be against it, from the little I've seen so far.”

West Brom are currently 10th in the Championship table, and will face Luton Town at home on the final day of the season this Saturday.

Blessin appointment could be promising

Blessin took over a St. Pauli side that had just come up from the 2. Bundesliga and has got them relatively safe from the relegation battle.

He would be a left-field pick to replace Mowbray, and it’s unclear whether he’d accept a move to the Championship.

But we’ve seen managers come from abroad and enjoy a smooth transition to life in the Championship in recent years, including Cifuentes going from Sweden to QPR.

While the Spaniard’s history in the second tier does give him an edge, and it’s understandable why fans would prefer him, Blessin could still prove a smart move if that’s the direction they go in.