Former Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner is in contention to replace Sam Allardyce at Premier League strugglers West Bromwich Albion, as reported by The Mirror.
66-year-old Allardyce obviously feels the Baggies need a younger man in the dugout as they look to bounce back from yet another relegation.
So Wagner, almost two decades younger than ‘Big Sam’, would certainly fit the bill in that regard.
The softly spoken German isn’t quite the hot prospect he was a couple of years ago when he famously dragged an unfancied and unfashionable Huddersfield side to promotion on a shoestring budget before keeping them in the top flight. Well, for one season at least.
A miserable spell at Schalke took the shine off Wagner’s glowing reputation, although it must be said he shouldn’t be tainted by an ill-fated spell at a club that would make Pep Guardiola look like Steve Kean.
Wagner has been out of a job since being sacked by Schalke in September following that humiliating 8-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.
The Ruhr giants would go on to finish bottom of the Bundesliga, with the Terriers legend one of four managers to have taken charge of this once-great club during a 2020/21 campaign that broke records for all the wrong reasons.
A return to England with West Brom feels like the perfect opportunity for Wagner to get his career back on track.
Although the likes of Sam Johnstone and Matheus Pereira are expected to leave, the Baggies have a crop of players who can be considered among the best in their position anywhere in the Championship.
The Mirror claims Chris Wilder is also in the frame for the West Brom job, while Frank Lampard has been linked too.
“He should be really proud of what he achieved there,” Wagner’s close friend Jurgen Klopp said after the 49-year-old saved Huddersfield from relegation in 2017/18.
“It’s one of the most special stories in football in the last three-and-a-half years. It is unbelievable to do what he did.”
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