Exclusive: David Prutton urges West Brom to consider Steven Gerrard appointment | OneFootball

David Prutton has told FLW his verdict on West Brom potentially appointing Steven Gerrard as manager

David Prutton believes West Brom could do worse than be looking to Steven Gerrard as a potential candidate to replace Tony Mowbray as manager.

The Baggies are currently searching for a new head coach after dismissing the 61-year-old earlier this month.

Mowbray returned for a second stint in January, nearly 17 years after first departing The Hawthorns, but under his management, results were indifferent and eventually a play-off place couldn't be attained.

Albion will now be hoping to appoint someone in the summer that can oversee their ambitions to return West Brom to the Premier League, and there will be plenty of names touted with such a prestigious role.

Steven Gerrard to West Brom claim issued by Sky Sports presenter David Prutton

Lead Sky Sports EFL prsenter David Prutton has claimed that Gerrard’s managerial career has been written off too quickly by people after his disappointing spell at Aston Villa, and subsequent move to Saudi Arabia.

He believes the former England international should take inspiration from Frank Lampard’s time at Coventry City and move to the Championship, suggesting West Brom would do well to hire the 44-year-old.

“Another stellar player that I would say, if you want to be a manager for 25, 30 years then he’s still kind of working his way to that rhythm, having worked all over the world,” Prutton exclusively told Football League World.

“Maybe he’d have taken heed or inspiration from what Frank Lampard’s experienced at Coventry City, and obviously Derby before that.

“The Championship is a very smart way to get a decent body of work in to show people what you can do.

“And West Brom, yes there might be a bit of turnover of players, take a look at what the ownership are expecting going into next season, but yes the profile works.

“It is just whether that works then with regards to the players involved.

“But, again, what I’ve seen is a man and a manager that is very humble, very empathetic to his players, understands that not everyone is Steven Gerrard so would ask different things of his team.

“And I think [he’s] been unfairly struck off in certain areas, quick to dismiss a manager’s career when it hits a little bump in the road.

“But, given how ambitious he is, his standards as a player and his ability to infuse and inspire a side, I think West Brom would be quite right looking at Steven Gerrard as a potential candidate.”

Steven Gerrard appointment would be risky for West Brom

West Brom really lost out when Carlos Corberan departed for Valencia, as he was bringing the team forward and had them competing despite financial issues under the previous owners.

The Mowbray gamble was worth taking as he’d done well at Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers previously, and he knew the club from his time as manager at the Hawthorns before.

Gerrard has no such connection, and in fact even worked for a rival in Aston Villa, so could be up against it with supporters from the start.

His time at Villa was also quite underwhelming, and taking two years away from European football will be worrying, so this would be a risky appointment and one that could backfire quite badly.