West Bromwich Albion have held a second round of talks with Slaven Bilic, with the Baggies closing in on the Croatian as their next manager.  

Darren Moore was sacked by Albion back in March, but the club are yet to announce his permanent successor following Jimmy Shan’s caretaker role at the Hawthorns.

However, a long search appears to be coming to an end, with Bilic in pole position for the vacancy.

According to a report in the Birmingham Mail, 50-year-old Bilic is now in-line for the job after a second round of talks, with the Baggies at an advanced stage of their quest to replace Moore.

Luke Dowling has discussed a number of options, but all paths now seem to point in the direction of Bilic, who built a strong reputation during spells in-charge of the Croatian national side and West Ham United.

Albion are currently bracing themselves for a second year in the Championship after Shan failed to guide the club through the play-off successfully.

A 2-2 draw with Aston Villa in the play-off semi-finals led to a penalty shootout defeat, with the Baggies agonisingly short of going within 90 minutes of an instant return to the big time.

The Verdict

This has been a very long process for West Brom and they needed to close in on an appointment this week.

Bilic is an experienced manager with good pedigree, and getting him in at this stage of the summer was vital, with pre-season just around the corner.

It’ll be tough for West Brom in their second year in the Championship, but the right man at the helm can make a big difference.

There should be confidence in Bilic’s ability.

Thoughts? Let us know!