West Brom saw the deadline they gave Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder to leave the club pass as they submit a contract offer to Slaven Bilic and his lawyers, according to the Express and Star.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Baggies, who were approached by Wilder over the vacant job amid uncertainty at the Blades, handed the promotion winning boss a deadline to leave in order to join at the Hawthorns, but that deadline has now passed.
Instead it is Bilic who looks set to get the role, with the report stating that the paperwork has been submitted to be scrutinised by his team and that his potential appointment is in the final stages.
Opinion
Fair play to West Brom, who were not willing to play a waiting game to get Wilder on board. To have got his signing this summer would have been one massive coup but they realised the importance of getting someone in before their pre-season started, leaving Slaven Bilic as their top target. His Premier League experience will be crucial in improving the Baggies’ fortunes in the second tier, but there needs to be plenty of work done in the summer to get a squad ready for another Championship campaign. This gives Bilic plenty of time to stamp his mark on his new side and get a good understanding of the challenge which awaits him next season. You can be sure some would rather they waited for Wilder, if he were to become available, but those who sit on their hands and wait for things to come to them are never going to be successful. West Brom took the initiative and it looks as though they are going to make an exciting appointment. Now he just has to live up to expectation.