Michael Appleton signs new 4-year Lincoln deal after recent West Brom links
Michael Appleton has signed a new four-year deal at Lincoln City in a move that might well dampen talk of a West Brom return in the summer.
Albion are teetering on the edge of Premier League relegation and with Sam Allardyce’s future at The Hawthorns far from certain attention has started to turn to who his successor may be.
Steve Madeley of the Athletic recently said that “assuming Sam Allardyce isn’t in charge of Albion next season, the obvious name in the frame would be Michael Appleton”.
However Lincoln announced on their club website that Appleton had put pen to paper on a new contract until 2025 at the League One high-fliers.
The Imps are currently second in the third-tier of English football with only Peterborough United standing between them and top spot.
West Brom links to Appleton stem from his lengthy spell at The Hawthorns as he ended his playing days in the West Midlands before retiring and starting his coaching career in the youth academy.
He worked his way up to a spot on the senior coaching staff and even had a brief stint as caretaker boss following Roberto Di Matteo’s sacking in 2011 before embarking on his mission to make it as a manager in his own right, though he did briefly return in 2019 prior to his Lincoln move.
Don’t rule out a return
It looks like Appleton is happy in the East Midlands but Albion should not be too perturbed by the news.
The two sides may very well be playing in the same division next season with Lincoln looking well-placed for promotion to the Championship while the Baggies prepare to bounce back into a league they only just left last year.
Onlookers may well query why Appleton would make the move from a club on-the-up to a side in relative freefall, but there are a number of factors that may well sway his decision.
In the club statement on his new deal Lincoln chairman Clive Nates paid tribute to Appleton’s ability to work with ‘a significantly lower pro budget’.
If they do achieve promotion he might very well fear that they can not hold their own against the financial juggernauts in the second-tier.
Albion should be one of the wealthiest clubs in the division and could offer Appleton the funds to inspire them to an instant Premier League reprieve, while his emotional ties to the club surely still hold some weight.
It may cost the club an extra pound or two in compensation now but if the hierarchy really do believe Appleton is the one to guide us back to the promised land, if the worst does indeed happen, then his new contract should be no barrier.
In other West Brom news, Big Sam fumes at Premier League officials after fixture is moved.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.