West Brom target Chris Hughton as next manager after promotion failure
West Bromwich Albion will hold talks with Chris Hughton next week as they bid to persuade him to make a swift return to management.
Hughton was sacked by Brighton on Monday but will meet with West Brom officials, following the club’s defeat to Aston Villa in the Championship play-off semi-final.
Albion will also consider an approach for Patrick Vieira, the former Arsenal midfielder and current Nice head coach, while Slavisa Jokanovic, the former Fulham manager, could come back into contention after he was interviewed in March.
But Hughton’s previous record of two promotions makes him an attractive option for the West Brom board.
Hughton, 60, guided Newcastle and Brighton out of the Championship and it is understood he is keen to continue working in management after his dismissal earlier this week.Celtic’s temporary manager Neil Lennon was at the Hawthorns on Tuesday night but is not thought to be on the club’s radar.
West Brom are preparing for a second season outside the Premier League and are expecting a summer of changes, with a number of players set to be sold.
Jay Rodriguez, Craig Dawson, Ahmed Hegazi, Matt Phillips, Jake Livermore and Kieran Gibbs could all leave, after pledging their futures to the club for an extra year last summer.
Loan stars Dwight Gayle, Jacob Murphy, Mason Holgate, Stefan Johansen, Jefferson Montero and Tosin Adarabioyo will also return to their parent clubs.
Albion sources insist money will be spent, however, as they target young hungry players to build a new squad capable of a promotion challenge.
There is also huge optimism behind the scenes after Albion’s finish to the season, which saw interim manager James Shan win all six of his games at the Hawthorns.
Shan replaced Darren Moore in March and averaged nearly two points a game, but it was arguably Albion’s indiscipline – with Hal Robson-Kanu, Gayle and Chris Brunt sent off – which damaged their play-off bid.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/05/15/west-brom-target-chris-hughton-next-manager-promotion-failure/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw
