West Brom CEO Ron Gourlay makes bold Carlos Corberan comparison
West Brom CEO Ron Gourlay heaped praise on Carlos Corberan and boldly claimed that the former Huddersfield Town manager is “like a young Mourinho”.
Gourlay discussed the process of bringing the Spaniard to the Hawthorns, where he played a pivotal role in persuading him to join the Midlands club.
Corberan has overseen a tremendous upturn in form since his appointment. The club were down near the bottom when he took over, but has taken them right up to sixth place currently.
The former Terriers coach has won 10 of his 13 games in charge of the Baggies, and they are right in the mix to secure a swift promotion back to the Premier League, and Gourlay revealed that the process to replace Steve Bruce was a long and drawn out one.
The chief executive has been impressed with Corberan and claimed his arrival has been exceptional for the team.
Speaking to The Athletic [19 January], he said: “We took some time with Carlos coming in; we needed to get it right. We were the right club for Carlos for where he was in his career.
“We met a number of times. It was about demonstrating how he could get more out of players, rather than telling me, and he blew me away with his demonstrations. It all comes down to how he works; he’ll do it until he gets it right.
“We got it down to three, and they were exceptional, but Carlos was just out of this world.
“I still believe in the reasons we brought in Bruce at the time we did, but if I am critical of myself, we might have left it two or three weeks too long, but we put so much work in the summer and you want to give a manager time,” he added.
“The meetings Carlos does in the week, the one-to-ones, with every player, I’ve never seen anything like it. He is a bit like a young Mourinho when he first came into Chelsea.
“The thing I see here is the thing I saw with Jose when he first came; it’s: ‘If you believe in me and do what I ask, you will come to the club and win’. It’s that belief and trust.”
Impact
Why not the Mourinho comparisons? It is clear that Corberan has made a major impact since his appointment in October, overseeing a current four-game winning spell to transform the club’s fortunes.
Things looked incredibly bleak and stale when Bruce was sacked, and the club needed a miracle. The Spaniard has immediately come in an stamped his authority on things as well as improving the team tactically and physically.
The Baggies now look more of a cohesive and frightening unit under the former Huddersfield coach, and that’s a testament to his coaching abilities and man-management.
The onus is now on the West Brom board to provide him with the resources to lead the Baggies back into the Premier League promised land.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are in the hunt to sign this Brighton and Hove Albion striker, and they aren’t the only Championship club interested.