West Brom opinion: Hughton or Vieira? Who should the Baggies appoint?

According to a report from the Sun, West Brom have shortlisted recently-sacked Chris Hughton and Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira as their options to replace James Shan as the boss next season.

Shan has been in charge of West Brom as a caretaker manager since the departure of Darren Moore back in March. However, under Shan’s management, the Baggies failed to get past Aston Villa in the semi-finals of the playoffs and West Brom will spend another season in the Championship.

The semi-final loss has reminded West Brom’s board the importance of an experienced manager at the helm of their club and they should bring in a full-time manager to replace Shan before the start of next season.

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira is an interesting shout to take over the Baggies next season but his experience again comes into question. The Frenchman was only appointed as Nice’s boss at the start of this season and he has, in all fairness, done a decent job.

Nice are just two points off of 6^th place in the Ligue 1 and with two games still play, a top-six finish is a realistic possibility. That would be a remarkable achievement in his debut season but taking over a championship side who are in dire need of promotion could be a huge gamble at this stage.

West Brom have a safer option in Chris Hughton, as he has done it before and would most probably do it again. Hughton has immense experience managing teams in England and he would be the perfect option for the Baggies to appoint after his wonderful work at Brighton over the last few years.

Hughton, despite what was claimed to be a disappointing season, led the Seagulls to the semi-finals of the FA Cup where they put up a brilliant fight against champions Manchester City.

The former Norwich boss will solidify West Brom’s defence more than it already is and with previous experience of bringing a club back from the Championship, he is West Brom’s best bet to bring them back to where they belong next summer.

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Conclusion

As exciting as Patrick Vieira’s appointment would be, it’s a gamble that West Brom cannot afford to take at this point. Chris Hughton would be an ideal choice for the Baggies next season and they should have no second thoughts about appointing him in the summer.