Why West Brom made Preston North End's Alex Neil their No.1 target
Preston North End visit West Brom in Championship on Saturday
Alex JamesFootball Writer
Alex Neil
Preston North End boss Alex Neil is the number one target for West Brom as they seek to replace Darren Moore, who was sacked last month.
While there has not yet been any official approach by the Baggies for the Preston chief it is understood one could come as soon as next week with Albion keen to have a new boss in place in time for a likely Championship play-off campaign.
West Brom currently have James Shan in caretaker charge and have lost their last two matches, heightening the search for a new manager as they aim to first seal a spot in the top six and then attempt to secure promotion.
The Albion hierarchy have identified Neil as a good fit for their needs ahead of the two teams meeting on Saturday.
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He has emerged as the clear contender with bookmakers now offering odds as low as 1/3 on that the 37-year-old makes the move.
Slavisa Jokanovic was also a target for Albion but the former Watford and Fulham boss - who worked with West Brom's technical director Luke Dowling at Vicarage Road - had high salary expectations while the Hawthorns hierarchy also had concerns about his adaptability and ability to make an instant impact.
Jokanovic is a man of methods and has a single-minded approach to his work. It is an ideal that takes time and time is something West Brom don't have.
Albion believe Neil would bring more flexibility to the table. He already has a promotion to the Premier League on his CV - with Norwich City in 2015 - while West Brom, who have been impressed by the job he has done at Deepdale over the past two seasons, feel he could come in and work with the existing group of players and quickly get the best out of them.
That will be key for a Baggies side who look likely to finish in fourth place but still need nine points to mathematically secure a spot in the play-off places.
While Albion hope Nell could bring them promotion, it is believed he would not face a quickfire sacking should West Brom remain in the second tier.
Neil took Preston to within a place and two points of the play-offs last season and a strong start to 2019 had North End in contention for a top six spot once again but three successive defeats mean they head to the West Midlands in 12th, eight points off the play off places.
However the situation unfolds in the coming days and weeks, Saturday should make for interesting viewing.