West Bromwich Albion have made a mistake in not appointing Chris Wilder as their new manager, according to Paddy Kenny.

The Baggies finally look set to appoint a permanent successor to Sam Allardyce, who left the Hawthorns at the end of last season following relegation from the Premier League.

Wilder looked to be the prime candidate to replace Allardyce, with the 53-year-old leaving Sheffield United back in March after nearly five years at the helm at Bramall Lane.

But owner Guochuan Lai has reportedly blocked a move for Wilder, despite the board unanimously identifying him as the man to lead Albion back to the Premier League.

Instead, former Huddersfield manager David Wagner is in advanced talks to take over at the Hawthorns, after leaving Schalke back in September.

Speaking to Football Insider, Paddy Kenny insists that West Brom have made a mistake in not appointing Wilder and opting for Wagner instead.

He said: "I think they might have made a mistake with this. Wilder, with his experience, I thought he’d be the sort of manager they would 100 per cent be after.

"He’s got promotions under his belt. West Brom have been known as a yo-yo club over many years, and I’m sure they’ll want to yo-yo back up again.

"So I thought this one was nailed on. It’s definitely an unusual one."

Wagner led Huddersfield to promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history back in 2016/17, but his time at Schalke was poor, winning only 12 of his 40 games in charge.

The Verdict

I do think Wilder would have been a better appointment for West Brom to be honest.

The job he did at Sheffield United in guiding them from League One up to the Premier League was remarkable, and I think has a better understanding of the EFL and English football.

I wouldn't say Wagner's promotion with Huddersfield was a fluke by any means, but it was undoubtedly a fairytale of a story and he's failed to replicate that success back in Germany.