With odds slashed, are all signs pointing to West Brom hiring McCarthy?

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Mick McCarthy is leaving Championship fixtures Ipswich Town and could return to management immediately with Premier League side West Bromwich Albion.

West Bromwich Albion have given themselves plenty of time to look for a new manager after parting company with Alan Pardew earlier this week.

And, according to the Birmingham Mail, there is a wide range of candidates in the frame, including Graham Potter, Chris Wilder, Nigel Pearson, Dean Smith, Michael Appleton and former Baggies captain Derek McInnes.

But are the signs all pointing towards one man: Mick McCarthy? It was announced last week that this most straight-talking of Yorkshiremen would be bidding farewell to Ipswich Town this summer after six years of relative over-achievement.

According to Sky Sports, he is open to an immediate return to management at The Hawthorns despite his links with West Brom’s midland rivals Wolves.

This comes just two days after West Brom’s technical director Nicky Hammond was spotted at Portman Road watching Ipswich’s 2-2 draw with Millwall on Monday.

And, earlier on Wednesday, the odds of McCarthy taking over at the Premier League’s bottom club were slashed considerably from 16/1 to 2/1. He is now the runaway favourite ahead of Appleton 5/1 and Pearson 9/1, while McInnes and Wilder have also moved to distance themselves from the role.

Having won the Championship twice with Sunderland and Wolves, and shown at Ipswich an ability to overachieve in the face of a very limited budget, McCarthy certainly ticks a lot of boxes for West Brom.