“Student of Bielsa” considering move to take West Brom job

It is hard to argue against Eric Ramsay being the worst manager in West Bromwich Albion’s history after he was relieved of his duties earlier this week.

The board decided to pull the plug after the 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic at The Hawthorns made it nine games without a win for the English-born tactician after his move from the MLS.

West Brom swooped to appoint the former Manchester United coach from Minnesota United to replace Ryan Mason, but he did not win a single game.

Ramsay is now the only manager in the club’s history to end a permanent managerial spell with a 0% win rate, losing five and drawing four of his nine matches.

Now, sitting one point above the drop zone with 12 games left, the Baggies need to find a replacement who can keep the team in the Championship for another season.

LaLiga manager considering West Brom move

West Brom travel to the Kassam to take on relegation rivals Oxford United in the league this afternoon and they will have interim head coach James Morrison in charge.

The former Baggies central midfielder managed two league games at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, drawing 0-0 with Cardiff City and beating Luton Town 5-3, although both of those sides had been relegated to League One already.

Former Southampton boss Will Still and Slaven Bilic, who managed the club in the Premier League, are two of the managers who have already been linked with the job.

However, according to SportsBoom, Valencia head coach Carlos Corberan is also in the frame for the vacant dugout seat at The Hawthorns.

The report claims that the Spaniard is being lined up as an option to replace Ramsay because he remains a popular figure behind the scenes at West Brom.

It adds that Valencia are in a relegation battle of their own in LaLiga and may decide to make a managerial change of their own, which would leave Corberan out of a job, and that may be why he is considering taking the Baggies job for the second time.

How Corberan could keep West Brom in the Championship

If West Brom can convince their former manager to return to The Hawthorns to be a huge upgrade on Ramsay, the first thing that the Spanish boss may look to do is to improve the defensive structure.

The Baggies have conceded 50 goals in 34 Championship games this season, the fourth-most in the division, and have conceded six goals in their last three games in all competitions.

In his last full season at the club, in the 2023/24 campaign, Corberan’s West Brom team only conceded 47 goals in 46 regular season games to finish inside the top six, typically deploying a 4-2-3-1 formation.

The Spaniard was praised for galvanising the club and getting the players all pulling in the right direction during his first stint in the dugout, which is exactly what the Baggies need in their current predicament.

West Brom need a manager who can get the staff, the fans, and the players all singing the same song between now and the end of the season to avoid relegation, which is why appointing a manager like Corberan, with his history at the club, would be perfect.

On top of it feeling like the right move from an emotional perspective, the former Huddersfield Town manager’s Championship record suggests that he would be a significant upgrade on Ramsay.

Corberan’s points per game rate at Championship level would see West Brom pick up 17 points in their last 11 games, taking the clash with Oxford out of the equation, which would take them to 52 points and most likely safety.

The 42-year-old boss, who was described as a “student of Marcelo Bielsa” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, is a proven Championship coach and a proven West Brom manager.

Whilst it would not take much for a manager to be an upgrade on Ramsay, because he did not win a single game, bringing Corberan back to The Hawthorns seems like it would be a significant improvement for the Baggies in the dugout.

His ability to coach a strong defence, as evidenced by the 2023/24 campaign, and his ability to unify the club could make him the dream hire for West Brom.