“Worth taking a risk on” - West Brom urged to consider Liverpool figure for top job | OneFootball

West Brom fan pundit Callum believes John Heitinga would be a good appointment for the club.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

West Brom have been told that John Heitinga would be a gamble worth taking as they step up their search for Carlos Corberan’s successor.

The Spaniard had worked wonders at The Hawthorns over the past few years, which included guiding Albion to the play-offs last season despite working on a limited budget.

Unsurprisingly, his work had attracted interest, and there had been regular speculation surrounding Corberan’s future over the past few months before he eventually departed for Valencia on Christmas Eve.

With the Baggies in the mix for a top-six finish this season, it’s an attractive job to many managers, and a host of names have been linked with the role.

So, attention now turns to the West Brom hierarchy, who will be weighing up candidates as they seek to make the right appointment, both for this season and the long-term.

And, speaking to FLW, fan pundit Callum revealed that he would be open to the idea of Liverpool coach John Heitinga taking over, after the Dutchman was named as a ‘leading contender’ last week.

“Ever since the links with the vacant West Brom managerial job have started, with names such as John Heitinga, Luke Williams and Steven Schumacher, I think I’ve become more open to the idea of Heitinga to be the one to take over.

“Of course, he’s working on the staff at Liverpool with Arne Slot, and they seem to do no wrong at the moment. He also spent time working for David Moyes at West Ham previously, and he had an interim spell at Ajax, where he did really well, with a good win rate when he was in charge for a short period.

“If he takes that experience from these roles, Albion could have a half-decent manager on their hands, if they are able to agree a deal with Liverpool.

“I think he would be someone worth taking a risk on, and I think there is potential there for him to be a top up-and-coming manager.

“Quite a few of the names mentioned, I wouldn’t be against. There was talk about Mark Robins, and he’s up there still. Williams has done a great job at Swansea, and he plays attractive football as well.

“With Schumacher, Stoke is a tough place to judge managers on their ability. He did a really good job at Plymouth, but Stoke seems to be a poisoned chalice, so a fresh start elsewhere might be what he needs.”

Spotlight is now on West Brom hierarchy

This is the first real test of the new regime at Albion, with sporting director Andrew Nestor the one making the big calls for owner Shilen Patel.

It was a blow to lose Corberan, but he has left the club in a very healthy position, even if they still have to comply with financial rules.

So, it will be intriguing to see how this plays out, with the fans hoping that Patel and Nestor can make an appointment that will ultimately lead to Albion returning to the Premier League.