Leicester City could reportedly turn to Carlos Corberan to succeed Enzo Maresca if he departs for Chelsea.
The management merry-go-round has begun following the conclusion of the 2023/24 season, with the exception of this Sunday’s Championship play-off final and Saturday’s FA Cup final, and those at the top of English football are having an impact on others further down the pyramid.
Chelsea is one of the best clubs looking for a new manager, after Mauricio Pochettino left the club last week. Maresca, who recently led Leicester to a 97-point Championship and second-tier title, is one candidate being considered for the Stamford Bridge role.
The Daily Mail are subsequently reporting that, if Maresca leaves Leicester, the Foxes could turn their attention to West Brom’s Corberan, who is impressing at the Hawthorns and led the Baggies to a fifth-placed finish in 2023/24.
There are numerous moving elements in this situation, but rumours indicate that if Chelsea makes a play for Maresca, Leicester may turn to Corberan, who is new to Premier League management.
According to the Daily Mail, “Corberan is among the coaches Leicester would consider” to replace Maresca if he leaves, citing his excellent work in the Championship with Huddersfield Town and West Brom, where he led to top-six finishes on a smaller budget than their rivals.
However, it is worth noting the number of managers under consideration by Chelsea to replace Pochettino.
According to the Mail, Kieran McKenna, who led Ipswich to second place in the Championship behind Leicester City, and Brentford’s Thomas Frank are also in contention. Ruben Amorim is also an option, albeit with a significant release clause.
According to one crucial paragraph in this report, “Maresca has a strong chance of replacing Pochettino ahead of next season”.
Corberan, 41, has been building his reputation in English football across the last four seasons. The former Valencia B goalkeeper earned himself a strong standing at Leeds United under the coaching umbrella of Marcelo Bielsa, before moving to Huddersfield Town ahead of the 2020/21 season.
With Huddersfield, Corberan guided the Terriers to safety during a testing first year, before delivering an impressive top-six finish in 2021/22 – Huddersfield were controversially beaten by Nottingham Forest at Wembley in the play-off final, having got the better of Luton Town across two legs in the semi-finals.
His time at Huddersfield would end after that, and he struggled with Olympiacos, before returning to the EFL with West Brom in October 2022.
Corberan drew West Brom out of the relegation zone following a terrible start to the season, and they finished tenth in 2022/23, just three points shy of the play-offs.
In 2023/24, Corberan went one better, leading the Baggies into the top six, with West Brom finishing fifth with 75 points. They were defeated by Southampton in the play-off semi-finals last week, 3-1 on aggregate.
These outstanding performances at the Hawthorns have occurred against a challenging financial backdrop, with West Brom relying primarily on loan acquisitions and free agents during the transfer window. However, the club’s fortunes have improved after Shilen Patel took management.
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