Derek McInnes wants to be next West Brom manager
Former West Brom captain Derek McInnes wants to return to The Hawthorns as manager, according to the Express & Star.
On Thursday, after talks to hire David Wagner broke down with him opting to agree a deal at BSC Young Boys, the Daily Mail reported that Albion could turn their attention towards hiring McInnes instead.
And it seems the 49-year-old would be keen on succeeding Sam Allardyce in The Hawthorns hot seat with him being out of work after leaving Aberdeen earlier this year.
Always linked
McInnes, whether he's in work or not, always seems to be linked with the West Brom manager's job whenever there's an opening.
Yes, he used to captain the Albion during his playing days and yes, he was part of Gary Megson's heroic promotion-winning team of 2001/02. He's also done a wonderful job north of the border in spells at St Johnstone at Aberdeen.
However, it just doesn't fill us with hope to see McInnes the most likely candidate at this point.
Chris Wilder was a no-brainer having won promotion at every level from the National League to the Premier League, doing so recently with Sheffield United.
Guochuan Lai put a stop to that while talks to hire Wagner were seemingly never going to go well.
McInnes won't play us like Wagner did but at least Wagner has fairly recent experience of winning promotion from the Championship.
McInnes' last spell in English management ended badly at Bristol City but he's since won plaudits from Sir Alex Ferguson, who's willing to give the ex-Aberdeen boss a reference [Sky Sports], and former Albion player Andy Johnson.
As quoted by the Express & Star, Johnson said: “For me, Derek McInnes ticks all the boxes.
“He is young but he knows all about the football club and understands the fan base.
“He is also passionate about Albion and has that desire to really make the club successful.
“He is very calm but he also has that fire in his belly. When we were playing together he would think nothing of coming in at half-time and saying exactly what needed to be said."
Everyone speaks highly of McInnes while Johnson also noted his loyalty by rejecting Rangers and Sunderland when he was at Aberdeen.
We could do worse - but we should have done better.
In other West Brom news, Albion are in advanced talks to sell this long-serving player.