Barnsley could be set to face a major decision this summer with reports having emerged that West Brom have now turned their attention towards appointing Valerien Ismael as their new manager.

According to the latest report from The Telegraph reporter John Percy, West Brom are now in talks with Barnsley over a potential move for Ismael with the Baggies having now identified the 45-year-old as their main candidate to take over at the Hawthorns.

It is believed that the Baggies are prepared to meet the £2 million buyout fee that it would take to lure Ismael to the Hawthorns this summer. Talks are believed to be ongoing, so it will be a nervous wait for Barnsley supporters to see what happens with their manager’s future.

With Ismael very much in West Brom’s sights now, we take a look at THREE potential replacements that the Tykes need to consider if he leaves for the Hawthorns…

Markus Schopp

Barnsley have looked to recruit their manager from abroad in more recent times and one option that they might want to consider this time around should Ismael leave the club is Markus Schopp.

The 47-year-old is currently in charge of Austrian side TSV Hartberg and he was a name that was put forward as a possible replacement for Gerhard Struber last term.

Schopp has on the whole performed well with TSV Hartberg in the Austrian top-flight and he managed to take them to a fifth-place finish in the 2019/20 campaign that saw them make it into the qualifying rounds for the Europa League.

He could not repeat as successful a season last term and they were knocked out of European competition in the second qualifying round and finished in 7th place in the table.

The 47-year-old as a result might be ready to make the move away from TSV Hartberg now and Barnsley might consider giving him the chance to move to English football.

If he is a name they have been keen on in the past then you would back him to be a good fit for the club because both Ismael and Struber turned out to be the right appointments at the time when they were made.

Ole Werner

Another potential manager from abroad that might fit in with the model that Barnsley adopts in terms of their managerial recruitment is Holstein Kiel manager Ole Werner.

The 33-year-old has been in charge of the German second division side since October 2019 and he managed to take them to an 11th place finish in the 2019/20 campaign.

Werner has made a lot of progress with his side this season and he nearly managed to take Holstein Kiel to promotion to the Bundesliga with them finishing in third place just two points adrift of second-placed Greuther Fürth. The 33-year-old’s side were then beaten in the play-offs by FC Köln.

On top of their performances in the German second division, Werner also managed to guide his side to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal and knocked out Bayern Munich in the process in the second round on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Eventually, Borussia Dortmund beat his 5-0 in the semi-final on their way to winning to competition.

After missing out on promotion to the Bundesliga, Werner might fancy a fresh challenge and Barnsley might be an ideal next step for him. Given his achievements at Holstein Kiel you would not bet against him doing well at Oakwell.

David Artell

One managerial option that Barnsley should be considering this summer if they opt to look into the domestic options that are out there to replace Ismael is Crewe Alexandra boss David Artell.

The 40-year-old has managed to perform an impressive job with Crewe and took them to promotion to League One in the 2019/20 campaign. Artell then managed to guide his side to a very respectable 12th place finish in the third tier last season in their first year back in the division.

Artell is a manager that has shown he is able to develop younger players at Crewe and bring out their potential on a consistent basis whilst also achieving results on the field.

That has seen the likes of Perry Ng, Harry Pickering and Owen Dale all flourish under his coaching and two of those have already been sold on to the Championship.

That is something that would make him an ideal replacement for Ismael and it would mean that Barnsley’s younger players would remain in capable hands. It would also mean the Tykes could continue their recruitment model of bringing in younger players to be developed.