West Brom would need to pay seven-figure compensation for Russell Martin
West Brom will have to pay Championship rivals Swansea City a seven-figure sum to take their manager Russell Martin, according to the Swansea Independent.
The Baggies are on the search for a new first-team manager after sacking Steve Bruce due to a run of very poor results which leaves the club in the relegation zone.
Martin is one of a number of names on the list of Ron Gourlay who is not in the mood to rush the appointment with Richard Beale, the club’s Under-21s boss, set to take the reins way at Reading.
With Martin still in a job and under contract for some time in South Wales, Albion would have to fork out millions of pounds in compensation if they tried to make him their new manager.
There is another hurdle in how settled Martin is in Swansea with his family and the project he has there is going far better than that of West Brom at the moment with the Swans up in the playoff places.
Worth trying
If he has no desire to leave Swansea for West Brom, then fair enough but Gourlay has to try given the modern and forward-thinking management style he has.
Under Bruce, the Baggies were constricted to a very rigid system and therefore lacked the creativity that they needed to score the goals necessary last season and that has continued into the new campaign, resulting in his downfall.
It might take a few games but Martin’s ideology of possession-based football and an extremely fluid formation should work fantastically at The Hawthorns with many players needing that release of the shackles to play to their best ability.
Despite the performance of this season, there is no way that this Albion squad should be anywhere near a relegation scrap as they currently find themselves and the Swansea man might be the key to unlocking their true potential.
But for that to happen, Gourlay has to dig deep in himself and his pockets to beg Martin to the Midlands.
In other West Brom news, Beale will have one less thing to worry about against Reading as their “stalwart” defender has been ruled out.