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West Brom are looking for a play-off finish in the 2025/26 Championship campaign.
After Tony Mowbray was sacked in April, Ryan Mason was appointed as the new head coach of the Baggies. It is the first time the ex-Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has been handed the permanent gig by a club and excitement is building ahead of the new season.
There is just over a month until the first Championship fixtures get underway and the West Midlands outfit will be hoping for the perfect start as they welcome Blackburn Rovers to The Hawthorns on 9 August.
West Brom have shown an interest in Jacques Siwe as they look for more firepower up front, but it is clear to see just how comfortable Mason is becoming in the Black Country.
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Ryan Mason speaks out on his time at West Brom so far
It’s been just over a month since the 34-year-old was appointed by Albion and with Nat Phillips already through the door at The Hawthorns, preparations are going well ahead of the new season.
With pre-season games around the corner, Mason has spoken about his first few weeks as the West Brom head coach. He said (via: BBC Radio WM): “Football is a strange world, you can be made to feel at home somewhere so quickly.
“The people I’ve inherited have contributed to that. I feel like I have been here more than a month already. [I gave] expectations around the type of people I want them to be. We’ll have our philosophy and understanding of how we want the team to look but the most important thing is the people who drive it.”
“The playing side is super important, but the people inside the club, Andrew [Nestor] the chairman and Piercy [head of recruitment Ian Pearce] the dialogue I had with them, was the most important thing. That gives me the belief we can build something together. Ultimately I need to get the players to believe in what we are doing.
“That is the first thing. We want to fight for everything and be together, you have to be a team and pulling in the same direction. That trumps any tactical approach.”
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Ryan Mason needs time to bring stability to the Baggies
After Carlos Corberan left West Brom for Valencia in December, the Baggies found it tough to replicate the solidity that they had under the Spaniard.
Mowbray was perhaps the right person at the wrong time for Albion. However, Mason has a whole summer with his players and staff before a ball is kicked in anger and that will only help his preparations.
The new West Brom boss is one of the most exciting young coaches in England and if given time to build, the Baggies may just be able to end their four-year Premier League hiatus.