West Bromwich Albion: Raphael Wicky out of contention for head coach job

Steve Hermon, BBC Radio WM

On Saturday morning, the understanding was that while the t’s hadn’t been crossed and the lower case i’s hadn’t been dotted, negotiations were at an advanced staged and the expectation was that Raphael Wicky would be appointed as the new Albion head coach in time for this weekend’s Championship game at home to Stoke City.

It’s a huge blow for the Baggies because the Swiss had been their preferred candidate following interviews with a shortlist of possibles.

The sticking point appears to have been over his backroom staff. Wicky wanted to bring two people with him and I understand the Baggies hierarchy were fully behind that but issues over the pair re-locating to the UK have caused talks to break down.

The head coach search has been led by Andrew Nestor and it was always intimated that speed was never the priority. However, approaching three weeks since Carlos Corberan’s departure, it may now need to be.

Interim head coach Chris Brunt, along with Damia Abella and Boaz Myhill have overseen five matches so far and aside from the heavy FA Cup defeat at Bournemouth this past weekend, they have done well in the circumstances.

It remains to be seen if this unexpected news re-opens the door for ex-Manchester United assistant Rene Hake, someone else who hasn’t previously been interviewed or if Brunt and co will be getting the call to step back into the dugout one more time at The Hawthorns.