Constant Carlos Corberan talk is hurting West Brom | OneFootball

Numerous links between the Spaniard and Premier League vacancies are hardly ideal for Albion

It is often said that it is a sign of a club's strong progress when a manager or head coach is continuously linked with a switch to a managerial vacancy in a higher division.

Progression is definitely one of many buzzwords you could associate with West Bromwich Albion in the last two years, with Carlos Corberan's tactical nous the mastermind behind initially steering a side bottom of the Championship towards the play-off spots, before cementing their position as one of the second tier's stronger forces.

Of course, the Spaniard isn't, and hasn't been immune to criticism despite the general positive atmosphere which has been fostered at The Hawthorns since his appointment in October 2022, with a bizarre run of 11 games - one win and an extraordinary 10 draws - proving just that.

However, one aspect of Corberan's character that can't be dismissed by Albion fans has been his loyalty to the club despite an abundance of links to Premier League sides, which once again surfaced after Wolves and Southampton's recent decisions to part ways with Gary O'Neil and Russell Martin.

This could leave Albion to fall victim to the ongoing managerial merry-go-round, as, once again, their highly-rated boss is firmly on the radar of the Premier League's bottom side.

After winning 10 of his first 13 games in charge of the club, Corberan's long-term future, just months after being installed in the hotseat, was already under threat after Leeds United, whom he had worked for as assistant under the iconic Marcelo Bielsa, looked to the Cheste-born man as an ideal replacement for Jesse Marsch.

However, such links were quashed as the former Huddersfield Town boss signed a contract extension which still runs until the summer of 2027, which allowed him to focus on Albion's play-off bid at the time.

They fell narrowly short on the final day after a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, but Corberan deserved immense credit for even making the top six a possibility after 16 wins and a tally of 1.73 points per game across his first 30 matches.

After continuing to work his magic with a limited number of signings in the summer of 2023 - Guochuan Lai's last as chairman - Corberan guided the club to their highest finish since being relegated from the Premier League in 2021, reaching the play-offs with a tally of 75 points - 49 of which were accumulated at The Hawthorns.

This led to the league winners, Leicester City, as well as Burnley, having constant links between themselves and the Spaniard after Enzo Maresca joined Chelsea and Vincent Kompany made the switch from Turf Moor to Bayern Munich, before nothing came to fruition.

After a summer of high turnover in this part of the West Midlands, which saw a plethora of experienced players depart and replaced by the likes of Torbjorn Heggem, Callum Styles and Ousmane Diakite, as well as the permanent capture of Mikey Johnston, it didn't take long for Corberan to be linked with a potential switch to St Mary's after Southampton's sluggish start to life back in the Premier League.

But, the Albion boss' words were soon music to supporters' ears, as he stated: "I can only tell you that making a career in this club will be one thing that would make me happy - to extend my career in this club. It would make me very, very happy," to the Birmingham Mail, amid the aforementioned Southampton links.

Despite the fact that such comments have seemingly been backed up, recent links to the King Power Stadium prior to Ruud Van Nistelrooy's appointment, a potentially controversial switch to Molineux and yet another link between Corberan and the South Coast outfit will have made Baggies fans sweat once again, which is far from ideal at such a season-defining point.

New owner, Shilen Patel, has stated that he has a burning desire to see the club promoted to the Premier League in the near future, before then looking to consolidate in the top flight, which Albion did for several years between 2010 and 2018 in particular.

Many would argue that the path to doing so would be retaining Corberan as head coach, having earned a reputation as one of the most tactically astute in the EFL.

It will be said that, as a result, the ex-Olympiacos boss has more-than earned a crack at the Premier League at this present moment, despite his previous comments about staying loyal to his current employers.

This puts the Spaniard in a tricky situation, but for the benefit of his players, West Brom will hope that links between him and clubs in the league above will die down ahead of a crucial festive period and January transfer window.