Paul Merson backs Steve Cooper for West Brom role
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has urged West Brom to appoint Steve Cooper should Swansea fail to secure promotion via the play-offs.
Sam Allardyce announcing his departure after the West Ham defeat led to numerous managers being linked with the position at The Hawthorns.
Chris Wilder, Roberto di Matteo, Frank Lampard, David Wagner, to name a few, have all been the talk of the back pages over the last two days.
However, Merson has a slightly left-field suggestion – hinting at Cooper taking over the reins next season.
In his Daily Star column, the Sky Sports pundit made a case for the Swansea manager getting the job.
He wrote, “West Brom should go for Swansea boss Steve Cooper now Sam Allardyce is going.
“If the Swans don’t get promoted, that’s where I’d look if I was West Brom. Cooper has done a great job there.
“And he would have more of a chance of getting West Brom promoted next season than he would Swansea.”
Not quite sold yet
In our opinion, the club should go for someone with Premier League experience and the know-how of building a sustainable squad for a few years.
Cooper may have impressed at Swansea thus far, but it is his first senior role in football and we’re not sure whether he could replicate these kinds of performances next season.
Wilder, for example, has shown that he can build a squad with limited resources and despite having Championship level players, can get his team to punch around the Premier League’s big boys.
While some could argue a younger option may suit us better, the first thing is to sell the players a plan, especially the ones that are on the brink of an exit.
Cooper may be a good coach in the making, but if we were the decision-makers we would be looking elsewhere.
In other West Brom news, ‘New era’ – Lepkowski delivers verdict as new manager in frame for job at West Brom
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