Fresh hope emerges for West Brom fans as club chief Ian Pearce speaks out on Carlos Corberan future
New West Brom head of football operations Ian Pearce is planning ahead for the Championship season with Carlos Corberan giving fans renewed hope ahead of the new 2023/24 season.
The Spaniard has done a tremendous job at the Hawthorns since his appointment in November despite just falling short of the play-off places this season, steering the club away from relegation trouble and turning them into promotion contenders.
The former Huddersfield Town and Olympiacos boss had been strongly linked [Sky Sports, 7 February] with the vacant managerial post at Leeds following the sacking of Jesse Marsch on 6 February, but he opted to sign a new deal to remain at Albion [7 February].
However, after Allardyce’s confirmed departure on 2 June, it seemed as if Corberan’s old club were returning to the West Brom table again, with a £2m buy-out clause in his contract which the Leeds hierarchy were intent on triggering, according to The Telegraph [3 June] and also by The Mirror newspaper [31 May, page 55].
And after a major club development emerged over the past week or so, it certainly looked as if things were beginning to look increasingly bleak at The Hawthorns.
According to BBC journalist Rob Gurney [31 May], the Spaniard’s future was left up in the air following the departure of CEO Ron Gourlay who Corberan had a stellar and transparent relationship with.
Speaking on BBC Radio West Midlands [31 May, 4m:00s], he worryingly revealed:
“So, whether Albion fans thought ill of Gourlay or not, he was at least a figurehead at the top of the club providing a degree of stability, now there is no CEO, two weeks today and we are in the middle now and will be very shortly, of a summer transfer window.
“And where that leaves West Brom moving forward as an entity and whether Corberan is still going to resist overtures from other clubs because I’m sure other clubs are gonna come calling for him, because of the job that he did taking Albion from the bottom to the near the top of the Championship.
“Tonight’s news of Gourlay’s departure has to throw Corberan’s up into the air as well.”
No manager wants to work under a dark cloud or in conditions where he doesn’t have the trust of those above him, and that’s what Corberan will have endured without Gourlay’s stewardship.
However, in a fresh new twist at the Hawthorns, things are certainly starting to look up again and Corberan may now be inclined to remain in the West Midlands.
However, in a new behind-the-scenes shift, the new head of football operations Pearce is planning for life with the Spaniard in charge and is looking to back him with signings in the transfer window.
Speaking to The Mirror [9 June, page 59], he said: “My focus now is on our plans for the summer, so we can provide Carlos with the tools he needs to coach a highly-competitive team.
“I want to make sure that my relationship with Carlos remains strong and continues to grow.”
With Leeds United desperately on the prowl for a new manager at Elland Road, the interest in Corberan will have certainly ramped up after Gourlay’s departure, but Pearce has now delivered a “hands off” warning to the Whites and other potential suitors proving the Spaniard with the backing he’s always needed ahead of what will be a crucial season next term.
Corberan has done superbly well with a rather depleted and lacklustre squad at his disposal and it is evidently clear West Brom desperately need a major squad revamp in order to compete with the newly relegated Leeds, Leicester and Southampton who have Premier League money to fall back on.
Most certainly, the Baggies simply cannot compete with those clubs. But, none of those clubs possess a manager as experienced and as highly rated as Corberan easily making West Brom’s best asset right now.
It is absolutely imperative he stays and continues his stunning work in the West Midlands and Pearce’s public backing for the Spaniard signals a new fresh hope and optimism at The Hawthorns.
What’s important now is Pearce has to put his money where his mouth is, and also walk the walk – that is what keeps Corberan happy in the West Brom hotseat.
In other West Brom news, a serious allegation has been made about one of the companies behind West Brom’s ownership.