Even though West Brom’s season ended in disappointment as they were beaten by Southampton in the play-offs, fans will be optimistic about what the future could bring.
After years of protests, Albion got the change they wanted earlier this year when Shilen Patel completed his takeover of the club, meaning the Baggies were finally free of Guochuan Lai following years of mismanagement.
Carlos Coberan worked miracles in the past 18 months to make the team competitive, and it’s worth noting that he managed to take the side to the play-offs without buying a player for a transfer fee.
Naturally, there is excitement about what the Spaniard can do with financial backing, and they will hope that Patel supports him in the market to improve the squad.
Burnley interested in Carlos Corberan
Yet, that defeat to Southampton could prove to be costly, as Albion’s failure to win promotion has created some doubt over the future of Corberan, with reports claiming that Burnley have him on their radar.
The Clarets are on the lookout for a head coach since Vincent Kompany’s surprise move to Bayern Munich.
Whilst Albion would like to think that Corberan would choose to remain at The Hawthorns over heading up north, the reality is that if Burnley did make an approach, it could leave him in a difficult position.
The Burnley owners have shown that they are very ambitious, as despite their relegation, Kompany was backed with serious money in the market.
Of course, relegation means that sales are necessary, but it highlights the aims at Turf Moor, and it also means they have a quality squad now by Championship standards.
There’s a lot of young, talented players in the group, and Corberan, or any prospective manager, would feel that they are capable of bouncing back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
The 41-year-old will undoubtedly want to manage against the elite in the top-flight, and Burnley may offer a quicker route to the top than Albion right now.
