West Brom new manager latest: ‘Huge’ Blessin claim from Germany – Exclusive
West Brom have been linked with a move to hire St Pauli manager Alexander Blessin as Tony Mowbray’s successor.
Mowbray, 61, was sacked last week after West Brom’s Championship play-off bid derailed with a defeat to relegation-threatened Derby County.
Although Albion have plenty of time to hire a new manager before pre-season starts ahead of the 2025/26 Championship campaign, there have been plenty of names linked with the new vacancy at The Hawthorns.
Marti Cifuentes has been one of them. However, he’s since dropped off the radar since being placed on gardening leave by QPR.
Another is St Pauli manager Blessin, who has really made a mark in Germany this season.
Blessin fan favourite at St Pauli – but West Brom face RB Leipzig competition
Mirror journalist Darren Witcoop reported on 27 April that Blessin “has admirers at The Hawthorns” as West Brom seek Mowbray’s replacement.
After replacing Fabian Hürzeler in charge of St Pauli, Blessin has managed to all but keep the Hamburg club in the Bundesliga, with them currently 14th with three games to play.
Hamburg Abendblatt journalist Frederik Kastberg has exclusively spoken to West Brom News about the impressive St Pauli manager’s rise, and it seems comparisons can be drawn between him and former manager Carlos Corberan for making a side punch above their weight with a solid defensive foundation.
“Blessin joined St. Pauli last summer after Hürzeler left to Brighton, which has upset many fans,” Kastberg told West Brom News.
“Blessin started in Hamburg with a 3-5-2 system, which wasn’t very successful at the beginning of the season, so he changed the system to 3-4-3.
“He managed to create huge defensive stability, which is one of the key aspects as to why St. Pauli will probably stay in the league. Only Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen have conceded fewer goals.
| Stat | Bundesliga rank (out of 18) | |
| Goals conceded | 36 | 3rd |
| Goals against | 26 | 18th |
| Average possession | 44.1% | 13th |
| Pass completion | 79% | 11th |
“On the other hand, the attack is weak, because they couldn’t afford to buy a good striker. Their attacking stats are the worst in the Bundesliga. And they also had many injuries this year.
“He became quite famous among the fans and is a likeable guy. He is born in and played for Stuttgart, the next opponent of St. Pauli.
“There are several Bundesliga clubs interested in him: Hoffenheim, Leipzig, Wolfsburg.”
Blessin wins acclaim for work at St Pauli
West Brom will no doubt do well to bring Blessin to The Hawthorns.
It’s not only Kastberg who’s been a fan of the German’s work in Hamburg this season with The Athletic’s German football correspondent Seb Stafford-Bloor also hailing the former Union Saint-Gilloise manager.
“Alexander Blessin has done such a wonderful job at St.Pauli this season,” he said via X on 20 April. “Inheriting a squad late in the summer, then navigating the injuries and squad shortages to most likely keep them up.”
“Consider also that FCSP lost Marcel Hartel (their top scorer in the 2.Bundesliga) to MLS and – obviously – Hürzeler to the Premier League at the end of last season. AB has had to perform a significant rebuild and compete at a higher level.”
Before he arrived at St Pauli, Blessin managed a staggering 62 per cent win-rate at Union SG in Belgium, where he won the Belgian Cup and the Pro League Coach of the Season in 2023/24. On top of that, he also oversaw wins against Liverpool and Eintracht Frankfurt in Europe.