This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
West Bromwich Albion finally looked to have their academy setup perfectly rounded off this summer after a series of appointments, but they were soon rocked by the departure of one of their most vital cogs.
Michael Appleton understandably swapped Albion’s U23 squad for the Lincoln City job last month as it was vacated by the Cowley brothers after their move to Championship rivals Huddersfield Town.
That has meant sporting and technical director Luke Dowling and the hierarchy at the Hawthorns have had to start the process all over again in finding a new manager to guide their promising youth setup to glory.
This week, Express & Star reported that they might well be closer in completing that stage as former Leicester City boss Craig Shakespeare is one of the names they are considering for the role.
He was in attendance on Monday night, which only fuelled the fire even more considering he is currently unemployed after leaving Everton in 2018.
The 55-year-old should be well known to the older members of the Baggies’ fanbase as he graced the Hawthorns pitch for three years starting in 1990.
Shakespeare would actually be quite the coup for the west Midlands club considering the wealth of experience he’s gained over a long coaching career.
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He was assistant to Claudio Ranieri when the Foxes famously won the Premier League title in 2016, before going on to replace the Italian at the helm after a successful caretaker period.
The former midfielder guided them to eight wins from 16 games to steer them clear of relegation while also taking them into the Champions League quarter-finals.
In doing so he became the first Premier League manager ever to achieve three or more goals in each of his first three league matches in charge and also the first Englishman to win each of his first four league matches.
So West Brom’s young crop of emerging prospects could well be getting a manager that has coached at the highest domestic level, and not only that, he has a top-flight title to show for it.
Now 13 years on from his one-game caretaker spell at Albion (a 100% winning record to boot too), Shakespeare could return in a different capacity to breed through the likes of Rekeem Harper, Chris Willock, and Jamie Soule.
There can’t be many better candidates out there. Not at least because of the clear personal connections and impressive CV that is on offer.
