“Living in the clouds” – Birmingham City linked with shock swoop for West Brom man

Following their relegation from the Championship, Birmingham City is getting ready for life in League One.

When the Blues controversially traded in John Eustace for Wayne Rooney in October, they were sitting sixth in the standings. However, following a sharp drop in performance, the Blues were demoted on the last day of the season and will play in the third division for the first time in thirty years the following season.

Following the health-related resignation of Tony Mowbray, Birmingham is currently searching for a new manager. Liam Rosenior, Alex Neil, and Paul Heckingbottom are just a few of the names who have been connected to the St Andrew’s position in recent weeks.

The Spanish head coach Carlos Corberan of West Bromwich Albion is the most recent addition to the Blues’ roster. Football Insider reports that Corberan’s representatives have been in communication with the Midlands team.

Although Southampton defeated the Baggies in the play-off semi-finals, Corberan guided the team to a fifth-place finish in the Championship this year. Despite this, the 41-year-old is drawing a lot of interest this summer.

Corberan is reportedly being considered by Leicester City, who are anticipated to lose Enzo Maresca to Chelsea, as well as Burnley, who are looking for a replacement for Vincent Kompany following his move to Bayern Munich.

There seems to be no shortage of suitors for Corberan, who is apparently “eager to leave West Brom this summer after faced various hurdles during his tenure at The Hawthorns.”

Birmingham City move for Carlos Corberan seems unrealistic

We asked a few of our FLW writers what they thought about Corberan maybe moving from The Hawthorns to St Andrew’s and whether Birmingham might realistically pursue him.

James Reeves

To be honest, I don’t think Birmingham has the slightest possibility of getting Corberan to sign with the team.

As one of the Championship’s most well regarded managers, Corberan dropping down to League One would be a very odd move.

Corberan’s transfer to Burnley, one of the Championship’s top contenders for promotion the next season, and newly promoted Premier League team Leicester are both rumored to have interested in the player. Compared to Birmingham, Corberan would undoubtedly choose one of those teams.

In addition, if Corberan is dissatisfied with the off-field problems he has encountered at The Hawthorns, the stormy first year of Tom Wagner’s ownership at St Andrew’s must give him serious qualms about accepting the Blues job. Corberan has developed a strong relationship with the West Brom fan base, so it seems unlikely that he would leave the Baggies for one of their local rivals.

Although Birmingham deserves praise for having lofty goals for their management search, aiming for Corberan is just too ambitious.

This summer, Birmingham City should be a contender to recruit Arthur Okonkwo from Arsenal, especially if John Ruddy decides to leave the team.
Benigno

To believe that Corberan would choose a club over a squad that qualified for the playoffs in the previous season is simply ridiculous.

It’s possible that Corberan’s agents spoke with Birmingham, but it’s absolutely perplexing that he would even be considered for the St. Andrew’s opening given his connections to Burnley and Leicester City.

Corberan is establishing himself as one of the best head coaches in the Championship after stints at Huddersfield and West Brom. There is no question in my mind that he would not accept a transfer to the third division of English football.

If Birmingham has made the approach, then it is praiseworthy and very ambitious of them; however, considering that they are now in League One rather than the Championship, they might want to be a little more realistic about the players they are interested in.