“It must be sad”: Pundit responds as Birmingham City target West Brom manager

admin | May 31, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

Carlos Corberan’s representatives have made touch with Burnley and Birmingham City as they look for a new manager.

According to Football Insider, both clubs have approached the West Brom manager about potentially taking over the first-team squad.

Corberan has received a lot of plaudits for his performance with the Baggies, leading them to fifth place in the league last season.

However, circumstances behind the scenes have made it an unpredictable time to be managing at the Hawthorns, as ownership changed hands in January.

It is understood that Corberan is keen to depart Albion despite the new investment, and would be open to a change in club.

Carlton Palmer highlights West Brom worry amid Corberan speculation

Carlton Palmer is concerned that Corberan still wants to leave West Brom, despite new owners taking over at the start of the year.

He believes that losing the Spaniard would be a significant setback to the Midlands club, given how well he has performed in the dugout.

“Birmingham City and Burnley have made contact with Carlos Corberan’s representation,” Palmer told Football League World.

“It’s a real shame for West Brom because Carlos did an outstanding job with the club last season, helping them finish fifth in the table and qualify for the play-offs.”

“It must be upsetting and disheartening for the followers that, despite the new owners’ arrival, Carlos is still rumoured to desire to go.

“That is because there is still a lot of upheaval behind the scenes, and he does not want to go into the next season without the option of bringing on new players and building on last season’s fifth-place performance.

“Several players have already been released from their contracts, yet the season has only barely ended.

“So you can see that he’s not particularly happy, and the fact that he’s willing to talk to the likes of Birmingham City, who are in the division lower, says how unhappy he is with the situation behind the deal.”

Carlton Palmer gives Corberan verdict amid Birmingham interest

Palmer voiced concern for West Brom that Corberan is still willing to go despite new investment in January, but suggested Burnley would be a better fit for him than heading to Birmingham.

“I would have thought that Burnley would be a far better bet for Carlos Corberan, it would surprise me that he would drop down to League One, but having said that the Birmingham City owners have got money,” he stated.

“If he’s given the support and can get promoted back to the Championship, or if he sees a project to earn back-to-back promotions with Birmingham, that may appeal to him.

“The fact that he is chatting to them indicates that he is interested.

“But, with the Vincent Kompany transfer completed, I believe it would be far more beneficial for him to join Burnley.

“I mean, 84 games in charge of West Brom, 39 victories, 18 ties, 27 loses, a 46.63 percent victory ratio.

“That is a tremendous statement from Carlos, and it would be upsetting and devastating to supporters if they lost their manager.

“It’s worrying that, despite what I said, the new owners arriving at the club that he still wants out of the football club, very concerning.”

West Brom finished fifth in the Championship table, but missed out on promotion through the play-offs with a semi-final defeat to Southampton.

Corberan’s side lost the second leg 3-1 at St. Mary’s after a 0-0 draw at the Hawthorns.

A move to Birmingham would be a big surprise from Corberan

If Corberan is that unhappy at West Brom that he would move down to League One just to get out of there, it’s a bad sign for the Baggies.

Corberan has performed admirably in tough circumstances, and the hope was that new owners would have supported him in the transfer market, something he lacked under the previous regime.

If he makes the transition, West Brom’s loss might be Birmingham’s gain, and it would be a very exciting signing for the Blues.

It would be a sign of their desire if they could persuade him to transfer to St. Andrew’s, but they should not waste their time on futile pursuits, so they must first confirm his interest before proceeding.