West Brom manager news: Big Marti Cifuentes update, Gary O'Neil mooted, Alexander Blessin talk | OneFootball

FLW rounds up all the latest news surrounding the vacant West Brom managerial role.

Since West Brom sacked Tony Mowbray at the start of last week, speculation has been rife as to who could become the next man in charge at The Hawthorns.

Mowbray was relieved of his duties following the 3-1 home defeat to Derby County on Easter Monday, having overseen a run of just one win from eight league games.

That spell resulted in the Baggies relinquishing their play-off position, and with the West Midlands outfit now consigned to another season in the Championship, preparation can already begin for next season.

The first step in that process will be bringing in a new face to lead the team, and if the board can get the right appointment, it could provide a huge lift throughout the club.

With that in mind, FLW rounds up all the latest news surrounding West Brom’s search for a new boss.

Marti Cifuentes is not believed to be on West Brom’s shortlist

According to the latest update from John Percy, Marti Cifuentes is believed to not be one of the names on the Baggies’ shortlist.

Given the way events have unfolded in the last few days, that comes as a huge surprise.

Last week, The Sun broke the news that Cifuentes was seriously contemplating leaving QPR, following a breakdown in his relationship with the club’s chief executive, Christian Nourry.

The Spanish boss criticised the lack of ambition shown by the Hoops’ hierarchy, and then went a step further earlier this week when his representatives met with West Brom for talks over a proposed switch. There were also reports that Cifuentes didn't take QPR training on Tuesday.

That resulted in QPR announcing on Tuesday evening that they had placed Cifuentes on gardening leave, effectively ending his time at the club for good.

That, in theory, would have opened the door even further for West Brom to pursue the 42-year-old, but as Percy understands, the Baggies are seemingly looking to head in a different direction.

Alexander Blessin is of interest to West Brom

However, one man who could find himself in the frame for the job is St Pauli boss, Alexander Blessin.

The 51-year-old is still in his first season with the Hamburg-based outfit, and has them six points clear of the relegation play-off spot with just three games of the season remaining, in what is only the club’s second ever campaign in the top flight of German football.

Blessin already has plenty of experience across a variety of European leagues, having previously spent time in charge of Genoa in Serie A, as well as Oostende and Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.

According to Darren Witcoop, the German has admirers at the Hawthorns, but no concrete moves have been made regarding a move for him as yet.

Blessin’s predecessor at St Pauli, Fabian Hurzeler, has already enjoyed huge success with Brighton in his first campaign in English football. With that in mind, the Baggies could be tempted to explore that avenue with the intention of reaping a similar reward.

Gary O’Neil mooted for the job

Despite his obvious links with their Black Country rivals, Wolves, O’Neil could also be a good fit for the Baggies job.

The 41-year-old was mooted as a potential option for West Brom by ex-EFL player and Sky Sports pundit Joe Jacobson when speaking to FLW.

The former Wolves and Bournemouth chief first showcased his management abilities when he defied the odds to keep the Cherries in the Premier League back in the 2022/23 campaign, a season which arguably laid the foundations for the impressive rise they have enjoyed in the last two years.

“Gary O’Neil has done a very, very good job, especially at Bournemouth,” Jacobson exclusively told Football League World.

“I thought he was excellent there and unlucky to lose his job.

“At Wolves, it was tough but I think he is a very, very good manager and that’s exactly what West Brom need right now, a freshness, someone with some fresh ideas, someone who’s obviously very motivated and wants to prove himself again.

“And West Brom have just been in this limbo land the last couple of seasons where they’ve spent a lot of money on players but not necessarily on bringing a lot of youth through, but just getting some good Championship players in the squad but not really having a team around them.

“So, I think Gary O’Neil would bring about that freshness and energy, so I think he’ll be a good appointment for them.”

After being surprisingly dismissed by Bournemouth at the end of that season, he moved to Molineux and led Wolves to a steady 14th-placed finish, before he was sacked with the club in the relegation zone back in December.

He has been out of work since then, and despite the obvious issue of being a former employee of their bitter rivals, if the Baggies could tempt him to take a step down into the Championship, it could prove to be a very shrewd appointment.