Baggies weighup McInnes
From Back Page an appointment and will wait until the summer before appointing a gaffer after first-team coach Darren Moore was placed in caretaker charge.
Sources in Birmingham told Record Sport last night McInnes will be one of the candidates closely assessed by the Baggies hierarchy.
Owner Guochuan Lai has charged chief executive Mark Jenkins with heading the recruitment drive after he returned to the club two months ago.
McInnes captained the Midlands club when Jenkins first joined the board as a finance director in 2002.
And the Scot was a popular figure at the Hawthorns during his three-year stint from 2000 to 2003, making more than 100 appearances.
The 46-year-old has rebuilt his reputation with the Dons after a frustrating first spell in England at Bristol City. McInnes has rejuvenated Aberdeen, lifting them to second place in the top flight for each of the past three seasons and winning a League Cup.
Sunderland attempted to snare him at the beginning of the season but he turned down that opportunity before rejecting another offer from Rangers last December.
Now though the door could open for a return south.
Pardew was sacked after 21 games, having claimed only three wins.
Just one of those came in the Premier League as West Brom drifted 10 points from safety.
Leicester No.2 Michael Appleton and Nigel Pearson are also in the frame but McInnes will be considered as Jenkins looks for the man to take his club straight back up from the Championship if, as expected, they go down.