Preston boss Alex Neil is the preferred candidate for West Brom as they look for a long-term successor to Darren Moore.

The former Albion player was surprisingly sacked earlier in the month despite leaving the side fourth in the Championship.

In the meantime, James Shan has taken over and helped the Baggies to three successive wins.

And, the Daily Mail have revealed that the current caretaker is a candidate to land the job, although they claim Neil is the number one target for the West Midlands outfit.

The report states that key figures in the boardroom have been extremely impressed with the work he has done at Deepdale on a budget, whilst he also has a promotion on his CV from his time with Norwich.

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However, any deal for the North End boss won't be sanctioned until the summer, with Preston firmly in the hunt for a play-off place.

Therefore, Shan could keep the role on a temporary basis until the end of the season, which Albion will hope ends in an instant return to the Premier League.

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The Verdict

Neil is clearly highly-rated by the Albion board and if he is the man they see at the helm for the long-term then they should wait.

Some fans may be underwhelmed by this update and you can understand why as the decisions made by the club in the past few years haven't worked out.

For now, Shan is doing a very good job and you would expect him to remain in charge until May.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.