West Brom appoint Valerien Ismael as new manager

Valerien Ismael has been appointed as West Brom's new manager following the departure of Sam Allardyce.

The Baggies have been on the hunt for a new boss since Allardyce confirmed he would be stepping down from his role at The Hawthorns at the end of last season.

Ismael only took charge of Barnsley last October, though his arrival transformed the Tykes' campaign with a run of just three defeats in their final 21 Championship outings catapulting them into a play-off spot.

The former Wolfsburg boss' brief yet brilliant tenure at Oakwell has sparked a lot of speculation over his future and it's now been revealed that West Brom have appointed him as their new boss.

The club took to their official website to confirm he has penned a four-year deal, revealing Ismael will arrive back in the UK in the coming days before self-isolating and then joining up with the first team.

Chief executive officer Xu Ke took the opportunity to express his delight at the news and believes the Baggies can make a return to the Premier League with Ismael at the helm.

“I am delighted to welcome Valerien to The Hawthorns," he said. "Valerien has established a reputation as an excellent coach and I have been impressed by his professionalism, enthusiasm and hunger to succeed.

"His performance last season with Barnsley, and his coaching career to date, all point to a man who has a long, successful career in front of him. It is my hope that he is with us for at least the next four years.

“I am confident that by working together we will be able to achieve our goal of returning to the Premier League, but success is earned by building on strong foundations, and our plans must now look further into the future. For too long we have focused only on what is immediately in front of us.

"This means we have often neglected our long-term aspirations. We are all aware of what will be required in order to be successful and player recruitment will be of the utmost importance.

"Valerien and I will immediately focus on preparing the squad for the new season, working together with Ian Pearce, our Head of Recruitment, to secure talented transfer targets who will strengthen us for the challenges ahead, ensuring fans are once more proud to support this great club.

“I am excited to be working with Valerien and I am sure we will soon establish a strong relationship that will be to the benefit of the football club and its supporters.”