West Brom next manager latest: Ex-Birmingham City man 'of interest' after interim international stint

West Bromwich Albion are searching for a new manager after Ryan Mason was sacked from his role as head coach of the Baggies on Tuesday.

The Championship outfit sit 18th in the division at present, losing 13 matches and winning just nine of their first 26 league fixtures this term. There had been rising questions over Mason’s position for some time, but six defeats in the last eight have led the Albion board to make a decision on the former Tottenham midfielder.

With nearly half a season yet to play, there is still time to salvage the campaign and lead a late push for the top half or potentially further, if the right man is brought in quickly. The expectation for West Brom is always to challenge at the top end of the division, and those expectations have not been met this term.

Early candidates for the role have begun to emerge, with one former Birmingham City man making for an interesting option to take over at the Hawthorns.

Lee Carsley ‘has admirers’ at West Brom and emerges as candidate

Former Birmingham City midfielder and current England Under-21 head coach Lee Carsley has emerged as a candidate to replace Mason at West Brom, as per reports by the Express & Star.

Carsley, 51, was born in Birmingham and represented Blues between 2008-2010, scoring three goals in 53 appearances. He has done an outstanding job as manager of England’s U21s, leading the Young Lions to successive European Championship wins, and could now be a target for the Baggies.

Lewis Cox writes for the Express & Star that Albion have been sounding out potential managerial candidates for some time, and that the club hierarchy ‘were proactive in their succession planning during the difficult latter weeks of Mason’s reign’.

Carsley is said to be a ‘possible candidate of interest’, while ‘at least one out-of-work boss’ has been considered by the club. Former Coventry City and Everton man Carsley ‘has admirers among the Albion owners and was previously contacted over the role’.

West Brom new manager search continues

It is not known whether Carsley is open to returning to domestic football, having previously been interim manager of England’s senior side and a potential candidate to succeed Thomas Tuchel in the hot seat if he departs after the World Cup, with previous reports from The Sun in November 2024 suggesting that Carsley is ‘happy to sit and wait’ for the top job to become available.

Carsley has spent the majority of his coaching career on the international scene, save for a brief spell as Brentford head coach in 2015 and interim spells in charge of Birmingham and Coventry. But he has shown his coaching pedigree with England U21s and links with Championship jobs such as the Baggies are inevitable.

There will be pressure on the Albion board to get this appointment right as, just seven points above the bottom three, the West Midlands outfit could find themselves dragged into a shock relegation battle if things do not improve quickly.