A former West Brom captain, McInnes knows the ins and outs of the Midlands club, but which players could he potentially bring south of the border with him should he land the job?
The Baggies currently sit bottom of the league with a worrying 20 points, seven points from safety and six points behind 19th place Stoke City.
Pardew has experienced a torrid time since taking over from Tony Pulis, with an abysmal record of only three wins from his 17 games in charge.
With the West Brom hierarchy reportedly keen on a change as a last ditch effort to salvage the club’s Premier League status, who could be a better option than former Baggies captain McInnes?
McInnes has done a magnificent job in his time at Aberdeen, establishing the club as the standout team in Scotland behind Celtic. Had it not been for Brendan Rodgers’ giants, then McInnes would be a treble winner, having reached both domestic cup finals whilst achieving a second place league finish last term, a more than credible effort for any Scottish coach outside of the Old Firm.
During his time at Pittodrie, the Dons boss has built quite the team, and despite losing many players to higher calibre clubs, there are still a number of high performers at Aberdeen.
Should McInnes land the West Brom job, however, which of his current players could have the greatest impact if they followed him down south?
Graeme Shinnie
Aberdeen’s captain Graeme Shinnie, 26, has been a great servant to the club. A versatile defender/midfielder, Shinnie finally received international recognition when he was called up to the Scotland national team for a friendly against the Netherlands, despite not making it onto the pitch.
Shinnie has by far been one of the most consistent Aberdeen players over the last few years and is approaching the peak years of his career. McInnes knows exactly what he can expect from the 26-year-old, who has served as a terrific leader for the Dons boss, who would no doubt love to take him to The Hawthorns if the chance arose.
Scott McKenna
McInnes has done well to ward off interest from other clubs in Scott McKenna, but should the Dons boss make the switch to the Midlands, he will likely join his rivals in trying to pry the youngster away from Pittodrie.
McKenna, 21, is one of Scotland’s current brightest defensive prospects, and is extremely highly rated in his home nation. Should West Brom lose Jonny Evans, which is looking more likely than ever given the current situation, the club will be after some serious defensive reinforcement and who better to add to the squad than a magnificent young talent in Scott McKenna.
With leadership and an eye for a goal on top of his ferocious defensive ability, McKenna would be a great addition to any top tier squad.
Ryan Christie
Celtic youngster Ryan Christie’s future remains very much in the balance, with it being uncertain whether or not the he has a future in Brendan Rodgers’ squad.
The young Scot has proven his ability time and time again at Aberdeen and is arguably the club’s best player, and should Celtic decline the opportunity to make proper use of his talents next season, a move down south may well suit the 23-year-old.
A full Scotland international, Christie has brilliant qualities going forward and would be a great addition to any attack and has proven to be quite the assist king over his years of development. What Christie requires is faith to be shown in him by a manager, and no man is better placed to do so than Derek McInnes.
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