Corberan closes in on Albion ambition
ANY proper list of candidates for the Manager of the Year award should have Carlos Corberan’s name near the very top.
For most of the Spaniard’s time in charge of West Bromwich Albion the club’s existence has been in jeopardy, as Guochuan Lai struggled to sell up and bring an end to his disastrous eight-year tenure as owner.
American businessman Shilen Patel finally answered the prayers of fans when he took control at the Hawthorns in February.
But without Corberan’s shrewd guidance on the field, Albion would not have been such an attractive proposition to potential buyers.
Appointed in October 2022 with the club 23rd in the Championship, Corberan took them close to the play-offs. He has now delivered a top-six finish in his first full campaign in charge.
The 41-year-old has a score to settle with the play-offs, too: his Huddersfield side were unlucky to lose to Nottingham Forest at
Wembley in May 2022 and miss out on promotion.
This West Brom side are a step up on that Huddersfield one and although he lacks the individual quality Southampton possess, Corberan has an outstanding tactical mind and is ideally suited to situations like these.
‘You can only enjoy as a coach these types of games — the big ones,’ he said. ‘These are the games we always want to play. You want to make your club succeed and achieve things.
‘You have more difficult ones, like fighting to avoid relegation — they’re not nice games because you know the consequence of what can be if you don’t win.
‘If you play a semi-final — of the Champions League, Europa League, any big competition like the one we are going to play — you know you’ll face an important opponent in front of you. They’ll demand the very best from us.’
Corberan’s work at the Hawthorns has not gone unnoticed by other clubs. If Albion fall short in the play-offs, his name will figure in a number of conversations as clubs near the top of the Championship and lower part of the Premier League consider their options.
Yet Corberan has only one thing in mind right now: beating Southampton. And given his track record, it would be unwise to bet against him.