West Brom have already made contact about hiring a 4-2-3-1 manager

Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca were sacked in quick succession in the Premier League, while West Bromwich Albion also featured in the Championship.

Just a day after Amorim’s dramatic exit at Manchester United, West Brom announced Ryan Mason’s final spell as Baggies head coach after he was relieved of his duties in a last-minute defeat to Leicester City.

The defeat had already established itself as West Brom’s 13th defeat of the Second Division season, and it was coming close.

It will be up to the new manager to turn around the Hawthorns’ fortunes quickly, with promotion still a possibility.

West Brom’s options after Mason’s sacking

Amazingly, West Brom currently find themselves just 10 points short of the play-offs, despite leading the Baggies to a dreadful 10-game losing streak away from home before Mason was given his marching orders.

There is still some relief work to be done and the responsibility to pick up the pieces could fall on Michael Carrick, who remains unemployed after leaving Middlesbrough in 2025 and has always been linked with a move to the Hawthorns.

However, Carrick is believed to be one of the frontrunners for the Red Devils’ vacancy, and with the Old Trafford outfit looking for short-term reinforcements, it may be unlikely that the 44-year-old will be handed the West Brom job with all the competition.

Names such as Carlos Corberan and Russell Martin have also been floated, while another rumor has it that former England caretaker manager Lee Carsley will replace Mason.

According to the Express and Star newspapers, the former Republic of Ireland international is a “possible interested candidate” and has previously been approached about the Baggies job.

Carsley, who has previously managed in the EFL with Brentford, is arguably the better option to bring in the Birmingham-born head coach than Carrick and will jump at the chance to jump back into the Championship spotlight.

Why Kearsley is a better option than Carrick

In terms of their respective experience in the Championship, Carrick loses out to Carsley. The former Boro manager enjoyed an impressive 57 league wins on Teesside before the wheels came off from his stay at the Riverside Stadium.

Indeed, in his final full season, Boro’s side stumbled to just 18 league defeats, but Carrick’s heart is probably not set on renewed Championship contention as he eyes a temporary job at the Theater of Dreams.

Meanwhile, Carsley, who has undoubtedly enjoyed success as manager of the Three Lions at Under-21 level, will be chomping at the bit to commit to the challenge at hand against West Brom.

The 51-year-old has led the Under-21s to two impressive victories at the Euros, and Nottingham Forest playmaker James McAtee and others say Carsley is a manager who “instills confidence” when they excel under his guidance.

This will definitely be music to the ears of West Brom fans as Mason leaves the Baggies camp with confidence.

McAtee’s comments suggest attacking midfielders such as Isaac Price would also be happy if Kearsley is handed the reins to replace Mason, but Price’s form could be heading off a cliff towards the end of the 34-year-old’s turbulent time as manager.

However, with five goals and two assists in the opening stages of the season, Carsley will be expected to reignite the former Everton midfielder’s Baggies career. Declan Rice, who played at Arsenal after Gareth Southgate left, is said to have had a “refreshing” influence on the players.

Having enjoyed such widespread success with the Three Lions, Carsley was able to boast a highly impressive 73 career wins as a manager, with Carrick’s 57 Championship wins flattening out somewhat thereafter.

Furthermore, Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham has been described as an influence that has “put smiles back” on the England squad, but it remains to be seen whether the 4-2-3-1 manager will be able to adapt immediately to the game at West Brom away from the glamor of Wembley.

But with Carrick at the Red Devils, the 50-year-old would be a suitable alternative as he could be looking to add to his already six wins in the Championship with the struggling promotion hopefuls.