West Brom: Chris Wilder & Michael Appleton under consideration to replace Sam Allardyce

West Brom 1-3 West Ham: I'm not long term - Allardyce on West Brom departure

By Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder and Lincoln manager Michael Appleton are under consideration to replace Sam Allardyce at West Brom.

Allardyce confirmed on Wednesday he would be quitting at the end of the season rather than see out the additional 12 months of his contract.

Wilder, 53, is out of work after his exit from Sheffield United in March.

He took the Blades from League One to the Premier League and was named the 2019 LMA Manager of the Year.

Appleton, 45, is a former West Brom player who has been linked with the manager's job before.

He returned to the club for a short period in 2019 when he became first-team coach to temporary boss Jimmy Shan.

Appleton then became Under-23s manager but left in September 2019 to take the Lincoln job.

On Wednesday, Lincoln beat Sunderland 2-0 in a League One play-off semi-final first leg.

West Brom were relegated from the Premier League on 9 May with three games remaining. They play their final match of the season at Leeds on Sunday.

Wilder and Appleton fit the template outlined by Allardyce, who has been asked for his input into a process that will be led by Baggies chief executive Xu Ke, commonly referred to as Ken, and technical director Luke Dowling.

With just over 11 weeks to go before the next Championship season starts, club sources say they are committed to making the right appointment rather than a quick one.

"You've got to look at what success they've had, whether that's in the lower divisions or in this league itself," said Allardyce.

"I still think it's risky sometimes taking a foreign manager to try to get up in your first season in this league unless he's a foreign manager who's already in this country.

"I think it's more about sustainability and building because only one in three clubs go up on average in their first year. So it may take a bit longer and that's why I've suggested it's not for me because I am not long-term any more."

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