Next West Brom manager: ex-Tottenham and West Ham star 'favourite' for job as pressure grows on Ryan Mason

West Brom have a decision to make regarding their managerial position as they struggle for form in the Championship

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West Brom were beaten 1-0 by Hull City at the MKM Stadium last time out. The Baggies missed a string of chances against the Tigers and slumped to an eighth away defeat on the spin. Pressure is growing on Ryan Mason amid their inconsistent form.

The Midlands outfit are positioned in 16th place in the Championship table after 22 fixtures. They are seven points off the play-offs and nine above the drop zone. Next up is a clash against Bristol City on Boxing Day as they aim to return to winning ways.

Michael Carrick favourite for West Brom amid Ryan Mason pressure

As per Football Insider, Michael Carrick is the ‘favourite’ to replace Mason at West Brom if he is sacked. The report has also mentioned Russell Martin as a contender should a vacancy arise. Carrick, 44, has been out of the game since his dismissal by Middlesbrough at the end of last season.

Carrick, who made 34 caps for the England national team, spent his playing days as a midfielder with the likes of West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. He made 706 appearances in all competitions and scored 34 goals. The North East-born player then hung up his boots in 2018.

He started his coaching career at Old Trafford and later had an interim spell in charge of the Red Devils before landing his first permanent managerial role in the game at Boro. The second tier side took a gamble on him back in October 2022 and he spent just under three years at the Riverside Stadium.

Carrick got his former team into the play-offs in his first campaign at the helm but they were beaten at the semi-finals stage by Coventry City. They missed out on the top six last term though and that ultimately cost him his position. He has since been weighing up his options over recent times and would be an option for West Brom if they give Mason the chop.

Who else could West Brom target?

Martin was sacked by Rangers a couple of months ago and is now unattached. He made the switch to Scotland in the summer but struggled to make an impact in Glasgow. The ex-defender has also had stints in the past at MK Dons, Swansea City and Southampton.

West Brom have been linked with Millwall’s Alex Neil recently. He arrived at The Den last year and has since done an impressive job with the Lions. His side rewarded him with a new contract recently and are currently inside the play-offs.

Other names the Baggies could consider are out of work candidates like Liam Manning, Gareth Southgate, Will Still, Gary O’Neil and Steven Gerrard. In terms of head coaches who have jobs, Paul Heckingbottom has done well at Preston and may be worth a look, whilst Brian Barry-Murphy and Dave Challinor have caught the eye in League One at Cardiff City and Stockport County respectively and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see teams higher up consider them.