What is the latest with regards to Valerien Ismael’s future at West Brom?

The 46-year old only took over as head coach in the Summer having moved from Barnsley.

The recently relegated Baggies were hoping for an immediate route back up to the Premier League. Ismael was seen as an ideal candidate given Barnsley’s play-off efforts last season.

However, the Telegraph has reported that Ismael is fighting for his position at the club. 

Following the side’s recent 2-0 defeat to Millwall, the hierarchy are now seriously considering Ismael’s future as manager. 

The side have one league win from their last seven, which has seen them plummet down to fifth in the Championship, eight points adrift of the top two. 

While that gap is still salvageable with 17 games still to play this campaign, the board are starting to wonder if someone else is best suited to the task. 

Ismael used West Brom’s current break to take a trip to Germany to visit family, but it is understood that he took training on Wednesday morning upon his return to the club.

However, the Frenchman has also fallen out with players at the club which has weakened his position at the club even further. 

Sam Johnstone was the most notable player that has had a disagreement with Ismael, with the two tussling over an issue Ismael described as “internal.” 

It is expected that any decision made on Ismael’s future will come down to chief executive Xu Ke and board consultant Ron Gourlay. 

It remains to be seen what actions the pair will take, so this is definitely a developing story worth keeping an eye on over the next few days.

West Brom’s next game is against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on February 9, which could be Ismael’s last chance to turn things around.

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