Millwall manager Gary Rowett has distanced himself from reports suggesting he wants to replace Steve Bruce at Championship rivals West Brom, speaking to the South London Press.
On Wednesday night, The Sun stated that, not only was Rowett one of West Brom’s top managerial targets, he was as keen on them as they are on him.
The Bromsgrove-born tactician, they say, would welcome a return to the Midlands after three years in London. Former Birmingham Mail reporter Chris Lepkowski, meanwhile, claims to have been ‘reliably informed’ that Rowett is ‘very interested’ in the vacant Hawthorns hotseat.
It is difficult to know what to make of the comments he made, then, at his Thursday press conference. Were those reports wide of the mark? Or is this just a classic case of a manager looking to keep speculation at arms’ length, keeping his cards close to his chest in case West Brom end up prioritising a Rob Edwards or a Carlos Corberan instead?
Will Millwall boss Gary Rowett be the next West Brom manager?
“As a manager there is always some speculation. And a lot of the times, that speculation is unfounded or usually there is not really anything in it,” says Rowett, who’s Millwall side are currently seven places and six points ahead of West Brom in the Championship table despite losing star man Jed Wallace to the Baggies in the summer.
“For me it is exactly the same. I’ve had three years where all I concentrated on is trying to get Millwall in the top six after finishing eighth, 11th and ninth. That’s all my focus is on now. It’s very, very simple.
“I’ve got a very, very good relationship with John (Berylson), the owner, and Steve (Kavanagh), chief executive. That is my focus rather than listening to headlines or listening to speculation. It’s as simple as that.”
The Sun believes that West Brom are admirers of Rowett’s ability to build a side far greater than the sum of it’s parts on a limited budget. Edwards, Corberan and Michael Carrick have also been linked. Former Burnley boss Sean Dyche, however, is reportedly holding out for a Premier League job.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m here,” the former Birmingham City boss adds. “I’m here, concentrating on try to win games of football. As a manager, you just have to focus on the things that are important. Other things outside of that, with people speculating, 99 times out of 100, it is absolute rubbish. That’s it.
“If I speculated on every job , that’s all I’d be talking about all week. My concentration isn’t going to change any time soon on the job in hand; which is trying to get this club in the top six.”
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