Next West Brom manager: Former Huddersfield Town head coach joint favourite alongside former Stoke City and Derby County boss

The Baggies parted company with manager Steve Bruce earlier this week after an eight-game winless run which left them sitting inside the Championship relegation zone.

The 61-year-old has left the Baggies after a little more than eight months at the helm with staff Steve Agnew, Stephen Clemence and son Alex Bruce also heading for the Hawthorns exit.

Former Newcastle head coach Bruce was appointed as Valerien Ismael’s successor in February, three-and-a-half months after his turbulent reign at St James’ Park had drawn to a close, and handed the challenge of taking the club back into the Premier League.

However, he was only able to guide them to a 10th-place finish at the end of last season and a return of just one league win from the first 13 games of the new campaign – 5-2 against Hull on August 20 – which had left them in 22nd place on only 11 points, proved fatal.

They face Paul Ince’s Reading today with the Royals riding high in fifth place despite last Friday night’s 2-1 defeat at QPR.

Ex-Huddersfield Town manager and Leeds United assistant coach Carlos Corberan – who also managed the Whites Under-23s – is the joint favourite alongside Millwall boss Gary Rowett, who previously managed at Derby County and Stoke City.

On the club’s search for a manager, Baggies player Jed Wallace said: “Whoever we bring in as manager, I’m looking forward to new ideas and playing under whoever that is going to be and ultimately, I just want to start winning games.”

Addressing the speculation, Rowett said earlier this week: “As a manager there is always some speculation and a lot of the times that speculation is unfounded or usually there is not really anything in it.

“For me it is exactly the same, I’ve had three years where all I concentrated on is trying to get Millwall in the top six after finishing eighth, 11th and ninth. That’s all my focus is on now. It’s very, very simple.”

Meanwhile, Corberan said earlier this week he is ready to return to management after being sacked by Olympiacos after 11 games. He left Huddersfield in the summer before joining the Greek club.

“If it is the right place to go, of course,” he told Football Daily, when asked if he was ready to get back into management.

"We are coaches, what we love is to coach. The worst moment for me, is when you are without a team."

Next West Brom manager (correct as of 10:10am, October 15, 2022)

Carlos Corberan – 3/1

Gary Rowett – 3/1

Leam Richardson – 7/2

Sean Dyche – 5/1

Chris Wilder – 12/1

Richard Beale – 16/1

Rob Edwards – 16/1

Roy Keane – 16/1

Scott Parker – 16/1

Odds via SkyBet