Gary Rowett very keen on West Brom job as Millwall boss linked with Hawthorns move
Gary Rowett is very interested in being the next West Brom manager, according to Chris Lepkowski.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Liquidator podcast on Tuesday (11 October, 9m50s), the former Birmingham Mail journalist reported that the Millwall manager, 48, is eager to replace Steve Bruce in charge at The Hawthorns after he was sacked on Monday.
The Mirror reported on 10 October that Rowett is a manager who appeals to Guochuan Lai due to his ability to work well with a limited budget and Lepkowski suggests the former Birmingham manager is an early frontrunner.
“You’ve got somebody like Gary Rowett, who I’m reliably informed is very interested in the job,” said Lepkowski.
“By the quirks of football, we happen to be playing Millwall very soon.
“I’m not a betting man – I’m not saying that Rowett would definitely get the job – but he might be one to watch in all of this because I’m fairly sure that he will be a strong candidate.”
Rowett for the Baggies?
Rowett is an interesting one.
His managerial career has largely been a successful one after strong spells at Burton Albion, Birmingham City and Derby County before a rather glum time at Stoke.
Since moving to Millwall in 2019 to replace Neil Harris, Rowett has turned the South London club into quite a force in the Championship.
He’s made the Lions hard to beat without ever going out and breaking the bank on a new signing.
Despite them being one of the Championship’s lowest spenders on wages in his time in charge, Rowett’s win percentage at The Den is 38.7 per cent.
There are going to be plenty of twists and turns in the coming days as Albion try to find a replacement for Bruce but with regards to hiring Rowett, paying a compensation fee could be an issue.
Bruce will have no doubt received a big pay-out upon his sacking while Lai still owes the club around £12million.
Will West Brom be so willing to pay for the 48-year-old? It depends on how much they want him.
In other West Brom news, one player complained regularly about Bruce before he was sacked.