West Brom move for manager previously linked with Sunderland 'collapses' - report
Raphael Wicky was linked with Sunderland last year.
West Brom have seen a move for manager Raphael Wicky - formerly linked with the Sunderland job - collapse, according to reports.
The Baggies have been without a permanent boss since Carlos Corberan left the Hawthorns to take over at Spanish outfit Valencia last month, and were understood to be closing in on a deal to appoint Wicky as his replacement. Earlier in the week, Alex Crook of talkSPORT reported that Albion were nearing an agreement with the Swiss coach, who is currently out of work having parted company with BSC Young Boys last March and has also previously spent time in charge of FC Basel and Chicago Fire. The 47-year-old was understood to be in advanced talks with the Baggies, according to multiple reports.
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Since then, however, things look to have taken a turn for the worse, with BBC Sport now stating that discussions between West Brom and Wicky have broken down. The outlet claims that “complications over assembling the coaching staff requested by Wicky brought an end to negotiations”.
This, of course, is not the first time that the manager has been linked with a move to the Championship. Wicky was one of several names linked with Sunderland’s vacant managerial post prior to the appointment of Regis Le Bris last year, although nothing ever came of the speculation.
With regards to other options available to West Brom, ex-Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray has also been linked, although it is unclear as to whether the 61-year-old would be willing to return to his former club after a lengthy stint away from the professional game due to health issues.
In a recent interview, however, Mowbray did suggest that he could soon be ready to make his comeback in the dugout. He said: “Here I am today, a year on. I feel strong, I feel ready, I feel full of energy again - but let’s wait and see.
“In three-and-a-half days’ time I’ve got some scans - so hopefully they’ll be all clear and I’ll be on with the next six months, and see if I can get back to work. If they’re all clear, I’m open on the market again really, to go back to work, [to] see what jobs are out there and see what’s happening.”