Candidates for West Bromwich Albion job after Tony Mowbray departure

We assess the frontrunners for the West Brom job after Tony Mowbray's exit following the Baggies' failure to reach the Championship playoffs.

Potential candidates

Ryan Mason

Twice made interim boss of Tottenham Hotspur, Ryan Mason is a name persistently linked with Championship managerial positions.

He first occupied the Spurs hotseat following the sacking of Jose Mourinho and at the age of 29 and became the youngest manager ever to take charge of a Premier League fixture.

Mason also led his side out in an EFL Cup final, where they ended up losing to Manchester City at Wembley.

His second stint came after Antonio Conte left by mutual consent in March 2023.

Initially, Conte's assistant Cristian Stellini was made acting head coach but after he was dismissed following defeat to Newcastle United, Mason was once again placed in temporary charge.

The 33-year-old remains at his boyhood club, taking up a role as one of Ange Postecoglou's assistants following the Australian's appointment in June 2023.

Marti Cifuentes

When he was placed on gardening leave by QPR, many presumed that Marti Cifuentes would be heading straight to the Hawthorns.

Whilst the process may not have happened with such speed, the door is very much still ajar for a move to the West Midlands.

Cifuentes was lauded for his first season achievements at Loftus Road after the Spaniard steered the club away from relegation despite taking over with his side eight points adrift from safety.

2024/25 has been more up and down for Rangers but a 15th placed finish is still an improvement on the previous campaign.

Prior to his Championship endeavors, Cifuentes reached the UEFA Conference League with Hammarby IF after guiding the club to their joint-highest Allsvenskan finish in 20 years.

Steve Cooper

Possessing a wealth of Championship experience, Steve Cooper has been out of a job since he was sacked by Leicester City in November.

The Foxes were in 16th at the time of his departure but have since suffered relegation back to the Championship after winning just three games under Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Cooper has a second tier promotion on his CV after playoff success with Nottingham Forest in 2022.

Remarkably, Forest were bottom of the division at the time of his appointment but an immediate improvement saw his side rise through the league in double-quick time.

Victory in the Championship playoff final was a welcome a relief to Cooper after his Swansea City side lost out to Brentford at Wembley just one season prior.