West Brom facing delay in pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur man in new boss hunt

West Brom facing delay in pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur man in new boss hunt

The Baggies fell short of the play-offs after occupying a top six spot for much of the campaign, so the season ultimately ends as a somewhat disappointing one. However, they ended on a high on the final day, defeating Luton Town 5-3.

The full focus now turns to landing a new boss and the summer window beyond it, but recruitment plans likely won’t be enacted until a new head coach is at the helm.

Among those linked with the West Brom job is Spurs coach Ryan Mason, but reporter Alan Nixon states they are facing a delay in the pursuit of his services.

Writing on his Patreon, Nixon states Spurs have no interest in losing Mason during their push to win the Europa League.

And, while WBA are prepared to play a patient game in their search for Mowbray’s permanent replacement, it could be that other candidates move ahead of Mason in the pecking order as Spurs look to retain his services for the time being.

A first full-time manager’s job for Mason

33-year-old Mason has been gaining coaching experience pretty much ever since his playing career was ended early by a head injury in February 2018. He joined the Spurs coaching setup just a couple of months later and has remained onboard since.

The rumoured West Brom managerial target started in the academy as a youth boss before stepping up from the role of head of academy coaching to caretaker manager in 2021.

A position in the first-team backroom staff under Antonio Conte would await next, then stepping up as caretaker boss again for the end of the 2022/23 season. Since then, he has served as a highly-rated member of Ange Postecoglou’s coaching team.

The WBA job would be his first as a full-time manager, but it is one he has been gearing up for ever since retiring.

The task ahead at West Brom

It seems likely that play-offs is the remit for whoever takes control of West Brom next season. They came up short this time around but showed they can be a real force in the division at their best.

The next head coach’s first task will be to assess the current squad and decipher where improvements are required in the transfer market. Hopefully, the board will already have a good idea of this though, and blueprints can be laid for potential targets.

Additions will need the go ahead of a new boss though, so in the interest of preparing for next season, WBA would benefit from an appointment sooner rather than later. It means they must make a decision over whether holding out for Mason is worth it, or if it could be wiser to prioritise other options.