West Bromwich Albion fans will have been looking forward to their side’s away trip to Derby County on Boxing Day, but a bolt from the blue announcement regarding Carlos Corberan will have now tainted their excitement somewhat.
It looks as if the much-loved Spaniard will now be leaving the promotion-chasing Baggies, leaving many in the dark as to who the 41-year-old’s replacement is likely to be.
Football is a funny old game though, and no doubt the rumour mill will start churning out some tantalising names when Corberan’s exit is officially confirmed.
Corberan's exit from West Brom
As per reports from Spain, it is looking ever more likely by the minute that Corberan will soon be unveiled as the next Valencia manager, with Fabrizio Romano even stating that the ex-Huddersfield Town boss will sign a deal imminently.
Having been linked with the Southampton vacancy before Ivan Juric was announced as Russell Martin’s successor, West Brom fans must have felt they’d fended off another suitor for their disciplined manager well, only for the La Liga titans to swoop in unexpectedly.
Still, this will be no time for sentimental reactions, with West Brom now on the hunt for the best possible replacement for their well-respected boss in order to keep morale high in the West Midlands, which could even see an emotional reunion take place at the Hawthorns.
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West Brom's possible Corberan replacement
Opening up in a recent interview about his eagerness to return back to football management after recent health issues, Tony Mowbray might well be one face the Baggies hierarchy consider in the wake of Corberan’s sad exit.
After all, he’s been there and done that with West Brom in the past as a manager, having tasted promotion success up to the Premier League back in 2008 when lifting the Championship title aloft.
Stating that he will ‘always have a fond place’ in his heart for West Brom when discussing his departure from the club in 2009, the second-tier promotion hopefuls might well see this as an appointment that could mend a fractured fanbase hurting from Corberan upping and leaving for Spain, with Mowbray also wanting to be positioned in a dug-out again.
It wouldn’t purely just be an appointment based on the fact the 61-year-old is a well-liked figure in the West Midlands though, with his managerial record up and down the EFL also rather impressive.
Championship
490
194
127
169
League One
115
52
34
29
Looking at the table above, the seasoned manager boasts a mammoth 246 wins across his career overseeing games in both the Championship and League One, with his last full season in the second tier seeing him securing a playoff spot for Sunderland.
Mowbray will believe he can work his magic with the squad at his disposal too, having been heralded as a top manager for young players to thrive under at the Stadium of Light, meaning Tom Fellows could well continue to be a creative force under his fresh ideas.
Moreover, the ex-Black Cats boss once reportedly tried to snap up Josh Maja’s services when he was in charge of Blackburn Rovers, with his goalscoring heroics perhaps exciting Mowbray if he does become West Brom’s bold Corberan successor.
Obviously, in an ideal world, the promotion candidates wouldn’t be waving goodbye to Corberan, but in Mowbray, their promotion dreams don’t have to fall to the wayside.
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