Ian Pearce will not be leaving West Brom for Stoke City, as he was promoted to Head of Football Operations at The Hawthorns.

Who is Ian Pearce?

The 49-year-old may be known to some fans from his playing days, where he featured for the likes of Blackburn, Fulham and West Ham among others.

Since retiring, Pearce has remained in the game, initially in coaching before becoming a scout at Brighton, where he impressed enough to become the head of recruitment at Albion in 2018.

Whilst his record for the Baggies is mixed since, Pearce is clearly valued in the game, as it was claimed that he would join the Potters in a high-up recruitment role to help Alex Neil as he looks to build a team that can compete for promotion next season.

However, that won’t be happening, as Albion shared an update on their official site on Wednesday evening that confirmed Pearce would be taking up a new role.

“Ian Pearce has been appointed Head of Football Operations and will continue to work closely with Head Coach Carlos Corberán.”

This is a more senior role for Pearce, and again shows how he is appreciated by the Baggies, who are set to operate on a strict budget this summer as they prepare for another year in the Championship.

Carlos Corberan West Brom

Will this impact Carlos Corberan’s future?

A major concern for all Albion fans right now is the future of Corberan, with the Spaniard having been linked with the Leeds United managerial vacancy. Those worries were heightened when CEO Ron Gourlay left the club, as the two were known to have a close relationship.

But, the fact Corberan was namechecked here shows that he has a good understanding with Pearce, and he will already have worked with him since he came to the club, so they already have a relationship.

Whether that will be enough for Corberan to turn down an offer from Leeds remains to be seen, and all connected to West Brom will be hoping that it doesn’t reach that stage.

Overall though, Pearce and Corberan will be on the same page right now in terms of what Albion need moving forward, and they will no doubt be working on targets within the budget they do have.