Carlos Corberan could repeat Huddersfield Town exit from West Brom at ‘drop of a hat’ for Leeds United job – BBC journalist
Carlos Corberan’s previous exit from Huddersfield Town has been mooted as evidence he could leave West Brom in a similar manner for the Leeds United job, by BBC journalist Jonny Buchan.
The Spaniard is once again linked to a return to Elland Road, with the Baggies having fought off suspected interest in February by locking their manager down with a new contract.
But with a £2million release clause reported to be in that deal [Daily Mail, 1 June], and financial uncertainty at The Hawthorns, Corberan may see the writing on the wall at West Brom in the same way he did at Huddersfield when he made a sudden exit to Olympiacos just over a week after taking the Terriers to the 2022 play-off final.
Speaking on the BBC podcast Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet (19 June, 12m 55s) Buchan said: “I still think that Corberan could be a good choice if that’s the path [Leeds] go down. We know West Brom have issues.”
BBC reporter Adam Pope responded: “He has to be in the mix. Oh yeah, I mean is he going to be able to perform what was almost a footballing miracle there last year again this year, when they’ve got serious financial issues?”
Buchan then mooted the 40-year-old’s Terriers history as precedent: “He left Huddersfield Town at the drop of a hat, there was no sign of that coming when he left and went to Olympiacos.
“That happened so quickly, so surprisingly, it was hugely disruptive to Huddersfield Town at the time. I’m not saying that to be detrimental to him [as] disloyal or anything like that, but he was ready to go when that opportunity came for him because he didn’t think he could replicate what he had done at Huddersfield Town for another season.
“What’s to say he doesn’t feel exactly the same about West Brom and he could just drop the hammer at a split second?”
On edge
That logic probably mirrors some of the same fears that have been going through Baggies fans’ minds over the past couple of weeks.
All things being equal, Corberan has already shown he is committed to the club, but no manager wants to be stuck in a situation where he simply can’t be successful.
So a lot going forward for him, regardless of the Leeds links, will depend on the financial situation at the club and how much he feels he can do with a squad that may lose a number of players.
If he is ready to take on what is arguably an even greater challenge next term than the one that he was drafted in for last season, to almost produced a stunning surge into the play-offs, then those fears will prove unfounded.
But until the Elland Road job is filled there will remain some discomfort over the possibility that another sudden departure could materialise on Corberan’s CV.
If West Brom can clear the Leeds recruitment period with their manager still in post then that will be a major hurdle navigated, but the Huddersfield context possibly suggests a nervous summer regardless.
He is sure to need some assurances that he won’t be handed a squad that can’t mount a challenge, and improve on the work that he did at the club in his first season, but if he gets that then an extended stay should be on the cards.
In other West Brom news, Corberan’s Baggies record “stands out” for Leeds as interviews are under way.