“You can see them challenging” - Andy Hinchcliffe makes Carlos Corberan, West Brom promotion claim | OneFootball

Andy Hinchcliffe heaped praise on Carlos Corberan as he assessed West Brom's promotion chances.

Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe expects West Brom to be in the mix for the play-offs this season as he heaped praise on boss Carlos Corberan.

It was a hectic summer for Albion following their play-off semi-final defeat to Southampton back in May, with major changes made to the squad, whilst it was the first window under new owner Shilen Patel.

Therefore, there was some uncertainty surrounding the Baggies going into this season, but they started very well, picking up 10 points from their first four games to sit second in the table.

Andy Hinchcliffe on Carlos Corberan’s managerial ability

As well as the unbeaten start, Albion have impressed with their performances, and in Josh Maja they have a player who has been prolific in the opening weeks, as he has found the net four times.

And, speaking on Sky Sports’ Essential EFL podcast, Hinchliffe talked up Corberan, and explained why Maja could make a big difference to this West Brom side that lacked a clinical goalscorer last season.

“I just love Carlos Corberan, he’s just a fantastic figure to watch in the technical area, and the players tell stories about his attention to detail and his work ethic.

“Whatever squad he is given, he will squeeze the best out of them. I thought he did that last season, without having a top goalscorer.

“Brandon Thomas-Asante was the top scorer with 11, and they were the lowest scorers in the top six, so that was an area they needed to improve, and Josh Maja looks like a regular source of goals. Tom Fellows has been outstanding as well, and they’ve done well to keep hold of him.

“I always like the look of West Brom. They lost some players but there’s no panic, there’s an organisation there, an understanding of how we play, how we will be successful, but if Maja can knock in 15-20 goals, with their defensive setup, you can see them challenging seriously for the top six.”

West Brom will expect to be in the promotion hunt

Most would agree with Hinchcliffe’s assessment here, as Albion are a good side who have a lot of quality and depth in the group.

As well as that, Corberan has proven himself to be a brilliant coach at this level, which stretches back to his work at Huddersfield, who he took to a play-off final against all odds.

Even with Albion, he inherited a group in the relegation zone, and the transformation in the past two years has been remarkable.

He has built a solid, reliable team, who have shown they can mix it up to get results, and that’s why many will fancy them to be in the mix for a play-off place, at least, this season.

As outlined above, a major issue was the lack of a goalscorer, and that was the difference between the Baggies and their rivals in the previous campaign. But, Maja has shown promising signs in the first few weeks, and the arrival of Mikey Johnston will offer another threat in the final third.