West Bromwich Albion might well have ended their topsy-turvy Championship campaign with an entertaining 5-3 win over Luton Town, but there is still lots of work to be done off the pitch this summer to transform the Baggies into serious promotion candidates.
After all, there are a number of faces at the Hawthorns who could leave the West Midlands club next month owing to their contracts expiring, with Semi Ajayi, Grady Diangana and John Swift all set to leave as free agents currently.
Moreover, there is still the tricky task of replacing Tony Mowbray to solve after the 61-year-old’s return to the Baggies dug-out didn’t work out whatsoever, with a new target topping West Brom’s manager list according to reports.
West Brom's new top choice
Obviously, the main talk about who could replace Mowbray has largely centred on Queens Park Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes, with the Spaniard now even placed on gardening leave at Loftus Road.
But, contrary speculation has now emerged that Cifuentes isn’t reportedly being looked at by the underperformers as a successor for the failed veteran.
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Instead, all the eggs seem to have been placed into the Ryan Mason basket, with journalist Alan Nixon recently revealing that the Tottenham Hotspur coach is wanted for the vacant job post.
There are obstacles in the way, however, with Mason wanting to stick it out at Spurs until the end of the season due to their Europa League adventure, meaning any talks between West Brom and the 33-year-old will have to be put on hold.
Whilst Cifuentes does have Championship experience on his side, it’s clear that Mason is highly rated in the game and could well end up being an inspired appointment himself, away from persisting with the 42-year-old.
Why Mason could be the correct choice
There is a method behind West Brom’s madness here even if Mason has only ever managed Spurs in an interim capacity.
Let’s take the example of Scott Parker – a fellow former midfielder for the North Londoners – who clinched promotion for Burnley just this season, alongside Kieran McKenna also experiencing plenty of EFL success with Ipswich Town when leaving a coaching role behind at Manchester United.
Moreover, the 33-year-old has impressed whenever he’s been handed the temporary reins of the top-flight side in the past, with Ange Postecoglou even previously labelling the Baggies target as “outstanding” for his work behind the scenes.
There were past conversations too suggesting that the young coach might well be handed the Tottenham gig permanently, with his record from the dug-out promising, considering the high-pressure environments he has been regularly chucked into.
Indeed, Mason has managed to collect six Premier League victories from 12 overall clashes in the elite division, with a high 26 goals being scored on Spurs’ end too across all 13 matches he’s taken charge of.
Games managed
13
Wins
6
Draws
1
Losses
6
Goals scored
26
Goals conceded
21
Biggest win
4-0 H (Sheffield United H)
Biggest loss
3-1 L (Leeds A)
Therefore, by managing to show off his promise in the top division, he might well be cut out for a chance at the Hawthorns in the Championship, with Mason perhaps a more exciting proposition than the expected route of Cifuentes.
After all, Cifuentes has struggled for large portions of his Loftus Road stay away from pushing his side away from relegation during this debut season at the helm, with 31 defeats next to his name from 83 QPR contests, away from collecting a lower 29 victories.
A back-to-basics 4-4-2 approach from the 33-year-old could also suit West Brom, with Carlos Corberan often lining his side up in a similar way during his celebrated stint.
Mason might well be the next iteration of Corberan if everything goes to plan, with the now Valencia boss once just a second-in-command figure to the revered Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United.
At the moment, the Spurs coach is just a background face in North London himself, but he could soon blossom into the ideal Mowbray successor.
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1 ByDan EmeryMay 3, 2025