Kevin Phillips reacts as West Brom hire Valerien Ismael
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Kevin Phillips has hailed West Brom for hiring Valerien Ismael as their new manager and believes he’ll be up for the task at The Hawthorns.
Earlier this week, Albion announced the 45-year-old as Sam Allardyce’s successor at The Hawthorns with him agreeing a four-year contract.
Ismael’s arrival in the Black Country has been widely lauded by fans and Phillips claims the Frenchman can lift the mood at the Baggies.
Speaking to West Brom News, Phillips said: “It’s a good appointment.
“First and foremost, it’s going to be a harder job than what he had at Barnsley purely because of the expectation. At Barnsley, it was a little bit easier because there wasn’t as much pressure whereas now at West Brom, there’s going to be pressure straight away.
“It’s going to be a real test of his managerial credentials but from what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, he’s a good guy to work for and he got Barnsley playing some excellent football last season.
“If he can recreate that at The Hawthorns then as a supporter, you’d be excited.
“He’s a little bit of an unknown. I know he had a good season last year but it’ll be a big test for him and it’s not one I’m not sure about. He can handle the job.”
Ismael arrives at the Baggies having led Barnsley to the Championship playoffs last season even though it was widely expected that they would be in a battle against relegation.
Before taking on the job at Oakwell, Ismael was in charge at Austrian club LASK, who defied the odds and reached the Europa League knock-out stages after finishing top of a group containing PSV, Sporting CP and Rosenborg.
West Brom’s next step will to now be to get the squad ready for next season with a number of players having already left at the end of their loan deals and contracts.
In other West Brom news, this Albion youngster has been spotted signing a deal with Chelsea.
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