West Brom add Russell Martin to new manager list, require Swansea permission
Swansea City manager Russell Martin has now been added to the list of people under consideration for the West Brom job, according to The Athletic.
The 36-year-old led the Swans to a 3-2 win at The Hawthorns on 1 October and currently has the South Wales club in the Championship playoffs with 21 points compared to Albion’s 11.
Martin is contracted at the Swansea.com Stadium until 2024 and would therefore require permission from the club to speak to the Baggies about becoming their new manager.
West Brom will also be required to pay compensation for Martin while they also have former Huddersfield Town boss Carlos Corberan on their radar.
Martin would come to the Midlands with a reputation and play style inspired by Pep Guardiola with possession stats among the highest in the division no matter who he manages.
Complete change
It is going to cost a lot more to get Martin than it would any out-of-work manager but it is totally worth the extra dough to have one of the country’s best young managers.
West Brom will never have a more progressive and possession-focused man in charge and it will surely come as a huge shock to the current crop of players who have been relying on individual moments to win games.
Martin’s focus on team cohesion is the one thing this Albion side needs at the moment with so many disjointed partnerships on the pitch causing more bad than good.
Players like Karlan Grant will have to buck his ideas up to impress the former Milton Keynes Dons head coach having underwhelmed for Steve Bruce despite being the club’s top goalscorer this season and last.
Ron Gourlay now has to choose whether he wants the cheap replacement or the right one and it could define the Baggies’ season.
In other West Brom news, another name on the manager shortlist is wanted by a fellow Championship struggler with talks already held.