How West Brom could look of Ryan Mason is appointed – 3 changes are likely | OneFootball

West Bromwich Albion are looking to appoint Ryan Mason to replace Tony Mowbray, who was sacked by the club earlier this week.

Earlier this week, West Bromwich Albion parted company with Tony Mowbray following a 3-1 defeat to relegation-battling Derby County on Easter Monday that all but ended their play-off push in the Championship.

Reports from Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, have suggested that the Baggies’ first-choice candidate to replace Mowbray is Tottenham Hotspur coach Ryan Mason, who is playing a big role as a part of Ange Postecoglou’s staff ahead of Spurs’ UEFA Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt next week.

A complicated deal and one that would perhaps require some patience to get over the line as a result of his involvement with Spurs, it is one that presents Albion supporters with a dilemma.

On one hand, it is a potentially exciting appointment that could reap rewards in a close and competitive division as there is no known ceiling to Mason’s coaching credentials but the flip side to that would of course be the risk of the unknown and Mason also not showing he has a floor yet either.

Either way, though, there are expected to be a few changes that would come in at The Hawthorns this summer should West Brom take the plunge on the former Hull City midfielder and give him the job.

From a probable tweak to the formation deployed by Mowbray to the possibility of some intriguing recruitment using his connections, there could well be quite a few changes expected in West Bromwich.

Mason’s style & system

There isn’t much to go off in terms of what Mason’s ideal setup could be so he could be a pragmatist, moulding himself to the squad that he has at his disposal but, as a modern day young coach and a modern day young coach working for an ideologue such as Postecoglou, it is a fair presumption that Mason has himself some overarching principles.

When working as interim boss of Tottenham back 2021 and then so-called ‘acting’ boss in 2023, Mason more often than not used the 3-4-3 shape, albeit occasionally using a 4-2-3-1.

In possession, Spurs would push as high as possible with the full-backs getting right up the pitch to create something akin to a 2-4-4 or, more usually, that aforementioned 3-4-3 with a midfielder dropping in.

That would mean Baggies supporters could well expect to see a similar shape if Mason is pragmatic enough to adopt the 4-2-3-1 system more suited to this West Brom squad but the way in which that sets up on the ball is likely to be different to how Mowbray chooses to get his teams to play.

The reason for that is because the Mowbray style of football is known for also being possession-dominant but often reliant on speedy wing-play on the counter-attack, too.

In comparison, Mason’s football, from his short stints in charge and what we know about him as a coach, would appear to be more meticulous and even more possession-based so perhaps a bit slower and more deliberate.

Scouring Spurs for recruitment

One of Mowbray’s signings in the winter transfer window came on loan from Tottenham as youngster Will Lankshear joined until the end of the season having broken through and scored his first Spurs goal in the first-half of the campaign.

Lankshear has yet to score in just five Albion appearances but it would be no surprise to see him being one of potentially a couple of Spurs’ younger players moving to the midlands with Mason, be it on loan or on a permanent deal.

With Semi Ajayi set to depart, according to Darren Witcoop, they will be looking to replace the Nigeria international in the centre-back department and there could be a ready made replacement for him in Ashley Phillips, who has enjoyed an excellent campaign on loan at Championship rivals Stoke City from Spurs.

With both John Swift and Grady Diangana also expected to leave The Hawthorns this summer, with Mowbray confirming the departure of the latter, Mason would have to replace in attack and if Lankshear wasn’t to return then again scouring the Spurs youth setup for a hidden gem could see them land at the likes of either Dane Scarlett or even Alejo Veliz.