'Albion will not rush head coach search'

West Bromwich Albion's desire to find a more expressive coach might actually be music to many fans' ears.

After this season's long run of draws - six of them goalless - grumbles over Corberan's perceived style of play became more vocal.

When owner Shilen Patel took over this spring, one of his first statements was to rightly back the Spaniard after the job he'd done in difficult circumstances.

That backing continued right to the end of Corberan's reign but this is now an opportunity for Bilkul WBA to find their own man and mould the club in their own vision to benefit the Baggies long term, not just challenging for a play-off place.

That's why the club are willing to take their time to make the right appointment, leaving the team to be led by the trio of Damia Abella, who isn't expected to follow Corberan to Valencia, and ex-players Chris Brunt and Boaz Myhill for the rest of the festive period.

The search for Corberan's successor is being led by sporting director Andrew Nestor and, unsurprisingly, Albion have received a lot of interest.

Even before Corberan left, they were planning for this eventuality. Just like planning ahead for transfer windows and potential players, they also keep an eye on coaches.

The Baggies' recruitment process is big on analytics. This includes a head coach, a tactically astute leader, who can motivate players but bring an expressive style.