West Brom in advanced talks to hire Wicky after London meeting – John Percy
West Brom are in advanced talks to hire former BSC Young Boys manager Raphael Wicky as their new head coach, according to John Percy.
Writing on The Telegraph website on Friday (10 January), Percy reported that the 47-year-old’s arrival at The Hawthorns could be confirmed within days after he emerged as Bilkul’s preferred choice to succeed Carlos Corberan after he left for Valencia on Christmas Eve.
It is understood that Swiss boss Wicky, who is currently out of work, has held talks with the Baggies board in London this week.
West Brom close to new manager hire after Corberan ‘shock’
It’s been over two weeks since Corberan left West Brom in what Percy describes as a “shock” exit from The Hawthorns.
Corberan’s since taken charge at Valencia, where he’s got off to a decent start by almost getting something out of a La Liga game against Real Madrid before falling to a late defeat and then beating Eldense in the Copa Del Rey.
We wish Corberan all the best but now it’s time to look to the future – and the future could be with former Basel and Chicago Fire boss Wicky.
There’s likely to be a sense of relief among the fanbase because as well as Wicky, former Manchester United assistant Rene Hake has also been in the running. However, his managerial career to date – coupled with a poor but short stint at Old Trafford – led to fans being less than pleased with his potential arrival.
Wicky, who played for big clubs like Werder Bremen, Atletico Madrid and Hamburg in his playing days and has since gone into management with Basel, Chicago and Young Boys, could be a good choice for Albion.
It remains to be seen how things play out but for someone who’s recently managed in the Champions League and took his team to a domestic double in 2022/23 should be someone who fans are happy with.
In other West Brom news, the club’s stance on January interest in the in-form Tom Fellows.
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