West Brom legend hails Carlos Corberan decision not to go to Leeds United and risk relegation
Ally Robertson is delighted that Carlos Corberan ended speculation about Leeds United by reaffirming his commitment to West Brom.
The Albion boss signed a new contract at the Hawthorns on Tuesday night (7 February) to tie him to the club until 2027, after being heavily linked with the vacant position at Elland Road.
With the Premier League side currently looking to get out of a relegation battle, while Corberan, 39, has already solved that for West Brom and instead has them looking for promotion, Robertson has hailed the Spaniard for pushing on with his current challenge and the rewards it may hold rather than jumping ship and risking ending up back in the second tier anyway.
In his Thursday (9 February) column for Express & Star the Baggies legend wrote: “The attitude is totally different. When someone can make that impact you simply don’t want to lose them.
“My hope, having watched what he had done in just three months, was he would want to stay and get promotion.
“That would be a big thing for him and it appears he was thinking along similar lines.
“He could have gone to Leeds and got relegated, then it’s a big thing against his record. Whereas if he takes Albion to the Premier League, it’s a big old tick.
“The gaffer deserves so much praise. Ten weeks ago everybody thought we were getting relegated, now it’s all talk of promotion.
“It is great we have kept hold of him. We need everyone together for one big push to the play-offs, with the aim of getting ourselves back where we want to be.”
Focus
Corberan has serious momentum with the Baggies, and even the odd set back doesn’t seem to be able to derail it in the three and a half months he’s been in charge.
Losing to high-flying Burnley (20 January) is no disgrace, but to succumb late on after taking the lead could have knocked the club off the run they had been on.
A flop in the FA Cup then didn’t help matters, but a win against Coventry in the next Championship fixture (3 February) has West Brom back inside the play off places and within touching distance of the other three occupants.
Losing the architect of the current promotion push at that stage could have been a set back that was insurmountable, so the club getting a new contract on the table was a vital move.
Leeds are having difficulty finding a viable alternative, but from a Baggies point of view it is no longer a situation that needs worrying about.
The Premier League is within the sights of both club and manager at the Hawthorns now, and keeping the current set up in place has provided the best chance of realising that goal.
In other West Brom news, Simon Jordan branded the contract situation “tragic” live on talkSPORT.