“Leicester, for example” - EFL pundit fires warning to West Brom over Carlos Corberan | OneFootball

EFL pundit George Elek has heaped praise on West Brom boss Carlos Corberan, and expects him to attract Premier League attention.

EFL pundit George Elek believes West Brom will face a battle to keep Carlos Corberan at the club as they enjoy a fantastic start to the season.

The Spaniard was named as Baggies boss in October 2022, inheriting a side struggling in the relegation zone in the Championship.

However, under his guidance, Albion have progressed significantly, as they pushed for the play-offs in his first season despite that terrible start under Steve Bruce, and they finished fifth last time out, although they lost over two legs to Southampton.

A busy summer window doesn’t appear to have impacted Corberan or West Brom though, as they’ve picked up ten points from four games to sit second at this early stage.

Carlos Corberan backed to be a Premier League manager

Naturally, Corberan’s work at The Hawthorns will have caught the eye, and there was talk earlier this year that he was in the frame for the Leicester City job, before the Foxes eventually opted for Steve Cooper.

And, speaking on the Not the Top 20 podcast (42:35), Elek explained how highly he rates Corberan, and how he feels top-flight interest in the manager could be problematic for Albion at some point this season.

He said: “I’ve said it for so long. If you are a team in the bottom end of the Premier League, you take Leicester, for example, with Steve Cooper, who deserves a lot of credit and has done an amazing job in the past with Forest, but they were linked with Corberan and I think he is so tailor-made for that job.

“That’s going to be their (West Brom’s) issue, keeping hold of him.

“Post-takeover, Corberan would’ve hoped he would have stopped losing players and be able to invest, but that hasn’t been the case. But, he’s just an incredible tactician in terms of elevating the individual performances of players and forming them into a well-oiled machine, and that’s what they are right now.”

West Brom must match Carlos Corberan’s ambition

It’s not what West Brom fans want to hear, but most would agree with Elek’s assessment here, and the reality is that Corberan is proving that he is a manager who is capable of working at the highest level.

The job he did with Huddersfield was superb, as they went within one game of the Premier League, and whilst he had a disappointing spell at Olympiacos, he has shown his worth at West Brom.

As outlined above, tactically, he is very clever, and he has built a very impressive West Brom squad on a budget, and they have been very good to watch, particularly this season.

So, interest is inevitable, but Albion won’t panic, and it’s actually a good thing for the club as it shows they have a top-class manager in charge.

Ultimately, they will need to match his ambitions, so if Shilen Patel can support Corberan as much as possible to take the side back to the Premier League, then it’s unlikely he will jump ship, particularly this season.