West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City no longer face off in league fixtures after the Blues' relegation

West Brom ready to pay compensation fee to hire ex-Birmingham manager

Dan is a sports writer and broadcaster, who wrote for Breaking Media Limited's club sites between May 2024 and May 2025. Graduating from the University of Huddersfield in 2018 with First Class Honours in Sports Journalism, Dan has worked with several EFL clubs, as well as with BBC Radio, talkSPORT and TNT Sports. He previously resided in Sydney, Australia, where he continued his career as a freelance writer and broadcaster in various sports.

Published on:

28 Dec 2024, 10:30 am

West Brom are considering Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace to become the new manager at The Hawthorns, according to DOOD.

The Albion source [28 December via West Brom Xtra on X] claims the board are willing to stump up the money for compensation to bring in the right replacement for Carlos Corberan, who left for Valencia on Christmas Eve, with plenty of suggestions piling in.

Solihull-born Eustace took over Blackburn in February of this year and has so far guided the Lancashire club to fifth in the Championship following an excellent run.

The social media post read: "West Brom are well underway in their search for a new head coach.

"Blackburn head coach John Eustace is a potential candidate and his name is on the shortlist.

"We are willing to pay compensation for the right man."

West Brom keen on John Eustace appointment

While some may debate whether or not Eustace is superior to Corberan, it is worth considering that the constant top-flight interest in the Spaniard spoke volumes of how universally well he was rated.

That chapter has now been and gone, and Shilen Patel knows the sooner the Baggies can appoint the new face to lead at The Hawthorns, the quicker the promotion challenge can be restored.

And it comes very intriguingly that it could come via snatching a head coach from a top-six rival in Blackburn, who have not even yet enjoyed the benefits of Eustace's coaching for a full year.

West Brom have played at The Hawthorns since 1900. (Credit: Imago)

His stock rose during his time at Birmingham City, where he was harshly sacked while inside the Championship play-off positions only for the Blues to replace him with Wayne Rooney. They were later relegated.

It would be a bold show of initiative if Albion were to punt for 45-year-old Eustace, who is among a wide selection of names that the bookmakers are offering for the top job.

In other West Brom news, a loanee lower down in the EFL could be recalled early at The Hawthorns.

For more West Brom news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.

West Bromwich Albion

Blackburn Rovers

John Eustace