The West Brom board had wanted to appoint Chris Wilder as the club's new manager but owner Guochuan Lai prevented that from happening due to concerns following the manager's fallout with Prince Abdullah at Sheffield United.

Albion have been on the lookout for a new boss since Sam Allardyce announced he would be leaving last month and Wilder emerged as a standout candidate from the off. Having won promotion from this level with Sheffield United playing a stylish brand of football, he was seen as the ideal fit by many.

And, Express & Star reporter Joseph Masi revealed that the Baggies board were all behind the appointment of Wilder but Lai wouldn't sanction the move because of how Wilder appeared to be in dispute with the Blades owner that resulted to his exit from Bramall Lane.

"It is my understanding Chris Wilder was the unanimous choice of Albion's board to be the club's next manager. But that decision was blocked by Guochuan Lai due to the strained relationship Wilder had with the owners at Sheffield United."

As a result, David Wagner has emerged as the firm favourite, with the German said to be in advanced talks with Albion and his appointment is close.

The verdict

Considering Lai is rarely in the country and by no means a hands-on owner, it's quite remarkable that he has gone against all the advice that has been given to him by the board.

That's not to say that Wagner is a bad choice, although Wilder's recent success would clearly make him the preferred candidate, but Lai will have given these people the task of finding the new boss and they wanted the former Sheffield United chief.

So, this is a bold, brave call given the success Wilder brought to the Yorkshire side and you can understand why the fans are very frustrated by this update.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.