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Slaven Bilic faces expulsion as West Brom’s coach.
talkSPORT understands that the Baggies will announce their departure on Wednesday, with Sam Allardyce among the top contenders to succeed him on the Hawthorns’ bench.
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Bilic took over West Brom against Man City on Tuesday night, but that will be his last game at the helm.
West Brom put on a battle display against Manchester City on Tuesday night and impressively held Pep Guardiola’s side to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
But Bilic’s fate had been sealed before the match and the club had decided that a managerial change was needed to give them the best chance of surviving the Premier League.
Bilic, 52, succeeded Darren Moore on a two-year deal last summer and led the club to promotion in his first season in charge.
Yet West Brom has won just one of its 13 top-flight games this span and remains two points from safety.
It is understood that West Brom spent Tuesday looking for potential coaches to replace the Croatian, and survival specialist Allardyce is firmly on his radar.
Nigel Pearson and Mark Hughes are also under consideration, but Allardyce is their number one target.
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Allardyce looks ready to go back to the dugout
Big Sam has been out of the game since leaving Everton in the summer of 2018 after a six-month stint in Merseyside.
He has a wealth of experience in the game, having coached Bolton, Blackburn, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Sunderland and West Ham in the Premier League, as well as Everton, and has never been relegated from the top flight.
No approach has been made for the 66-year-old, but West Brom is ready to move once Bilic’s departure is confirmed on Wednesday.
The former West Ham and Croatia coach will be unfortunate to lose his job after guiding the Midlands team back to the Premier League.
It will be the first discharge in the Premier League this season.
Speaking earlier Tuesday, talkSPORT host Simon Jordan described the pressure on Bilic as unfair, given the lack of resources available to him.
“I don’t get the impression from Slaven Bilic that his players are not responding to him, he just has a certain amount of tools,” Jordan said.
“I don’t think West Brom is a bad side, they looked good at Man United, they were brave and ambitious.
“I think it’s a bit harsh. Bilic is imminently fired because of what happened in West Ham.
“West Brom is going through the same thing and I don’t think it’s fair.
“They are probably where they should be, given the investment and the games they’ve had.”
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