West Bromwich Albion could appoint Michael Appleton as their new permanent manger this summer, according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon.
West Brom have been thought to be interested in making departing Wolfsburg manager Bruno Labbadia the successor to Darren Moore, who was sacked with the club in fourth place in the Championship in March, according to the Express and Star.
However, writing on his personal Twitter account on Wednesday, in response to a question on whether the Baggies could appoint a foreign manager, Nixon revealed he believes Appleton will be West Brom’s next manager: “I still believe they end up with Appleton. But may meet someone and fall in love.”
I still think they end up with Appleton. But may meet someone and fall in love. https://t.co/XN7e9RIXQK
— Alan Nixon (@reluctantnicko) May 26, 2019
OPINION
It will be interesting to see who West Brom appoint as the permanent successor to Moore this summer, with the next appointment likely to prove crucial to the Baggies prospects of getting back to the Premier League. West Brom missed out on promotion this season, losing in the play-off semi-finals to Aston Villa after a penalty shootout in the second leg following the tie finishing level at 2-2 on aggregate. That means that the Baggies will start next season in the Championship for the second successive year after being relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2017/18 season. Appleton could be a decent option for West Brom given the managers experience of the English second tier, which could make him a more safer option than appointing someone like Labbadia with no previous experience of English football. However, as Nixon suggests West Brom are still looking for a new manager and they could yet have their heads turned by a candidate during potential talks. Whoever they appoint West Brom’s board need to ensure it is the right manager to get the club back in the Premier League.