Former West Bromwich Albion midfielder Carson Palmer has warned that not replacing director of football Luke Dowling could be bad news for Valerien Ismael, who appears set to be announced as the club's new manager. 

The Express & Star has reported that West Brom have agreed to pay Barnsley the full £2 million compensation to prize Ismael away from them, while with contract talks having been held over the past 24 hours it is likely the appointment will be announced today.

With Sam Allardyce gone and Dowling leaving his role as director of football, it looks set to be a summer of change at the Hawthorns – though it is seems the club may not be looking to replace the latter.

Football Insider has reported that Albion will instead shift to a more traditional setup with their new manager working on transfers with the recruitment team.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Palmer – who made more than 100 appearances for the West Midlands club between 1984 and 1989 – has warned that could spell trouble for the incoming manager.

He explained: “It’s bad news. It sounds like the chairman [or owner] is trying to call the shots, and you can’t do that.

“If you’ve got a chairman who knows the game, then that’s fine. But if you’ve got a chairman who doesn’t know the game…”

This summer looks to be a vital period for Albion, who will be looking to manage the departure of some of their big assets and build a squad capable of securing promotion back up to the Premier League.

The Verdict

While on the surface, West Brom's decision looks as though it could be good news for Ismael as it allows him more control, you do feel that Palmer makes a strong point here.

Not replacing Dowling could leave the manager having to interact with the ownership more than he'd like and may see them start to influence the transfer strategy.

We've seen that cause major issues at other clubs and it may be something that Ismael, who now seems set to be the Baggies next boss, wants to clarify before taking the job or looks to stamp out early on.

It's certainly something he should be wary of.