Key details emerge as West Brom retain Carlos Corberan despite Leicester City interest | OneFootball

Leicester City were reluctant to pay the £4m compensation to West Brom for Carlos Corberan as they searched for a new boss.

Leicester City were unwilling to pursue a move for West Brom boss Carlos Corberan due to the £4m release clause that would’ve been required to bring the Spaniard in.

The Foxes secured promotion to the Premier League last season after winning the Championship title in style, but their preparations for the new campaign have been impacted by Chelsea naming Enzo Maresca as their new head coach following his fine work at the King Power Stadium.

Once it became clear the Italian would be moving to London, the Leicester hierarchy began working on a list of replacements, and it was claimed that Corberan was in the running.

Leicester City appoint Steve Cooper

Interest in the Albion chief was understandable, as he has done a fine job with the Baggies, turning them into promotion contenders after inheriting a group that was sitting in the relegation zone following his arrival.

What’s more, he has done that on a strict budget, with Corberan incredibly yet to sign a player for a transfer fee.

When you combine that with his impressive work at Huddersfield, as Corberan took the Terriers to a play-off final, it’s no surprise to see he is developing a fine reputation within the game.

Yet, the Foxes didn’t name him as Maresca’s successor, as it was announced on Thursday that they had given Steve Cooper the job, with the ex-Nottingham Forest man available without the need for compensation.

Leicester City were put off by Carlos Corberan price tag

And, The Athletic have provided an update on Leicester’s pursuit of Corberan, as they confirmed that he was a candidate to take over.

But, they state that the £4m release clause, which is part of his West Brom contract, was deemed ‘too expensive’, and they claim that Cooper was the ‘cheapest option’, even though that’s not the reason he was given the job.

That will be a relief for West Brom, and the hierarchy deserve credit for ensuring that they didn’t make it easy for clubs to take Corberan, as he is surely vital to their long-term plans.

It’s surprising how clubs appear reluctant to pay for a manager considering the transfer fees in the game, but you can understand why Leicester went for Cooper over Corberan considering he had won promotion from the Championship, kept Forest in the top-flight and didn’t require a fee.

West Brom could still face a battle to keep Carlos Corberan

As mentioned above, Albion fans will be pleased to see Cooper land the Leicester job, but there are still doubts about the future of the boss, amid reports that Burnley are monitoring Corberan.

Again, they would need to pay the fee to get him out of his Albion contract, and it remains to be seen whether that is a problem for the Clarets.

But, with Burnley back in the Championship, they don’t have the same appeal as Leicester on paper right now, so West Brom will surely be confident that Corberan will stick around, as they prepare for another promotion push next season.