Valerien Ismael has been appointed West Brom’s new manager following the departure of Sam Allardyce.
The Baggies have been looking for a new boss since Allardyce confirmed he would leave his role in The Hawthorns at the end of last season.
Ismael only took charge of Barnsley in October last year, although his arrival transformed the Tykes campaign with a run of just three defeats in their last 21 championship trips that catapulted them to a playoff spot.
The former Wolfsburg boss’s short but still brilliant time at Oakwell has raised much speculation about his future and it has now been revealed that West Brom have appointed him as their new boss.
The club took to their official website to confirm that he has signed a four-year deal, which reveals that Ismael will return to the UK in the next few days before isolating himself and then joining the first team.
CEO Xu Ke took the opportunity to express his joy over the news and believes the Baggies can return to the Premier League with Ismael at the helm.
“I’m happy to welcome Valerie to The Hawthorns,” he said. “Valerien has built a reputation as an excellent coach and I have been impressed by his professionalism, enthusiasm and hunger to succeed.
We are pleased to confirm the appointment of @valerien_ismael as our new head coach. @ Idealheating | #WBA
– West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) June 24, 2021
“His performance last season with Barnsley and his coaching career so far points to a man who has a long, successful career ahead of him. It is my hope that he will be with us for at least the next four years.
“I am convinced that by working together we will be able to achieve our goal of returning to the Premier League, but success is earned by building on strong foundations, and our plans must now look further into the future. For too long, we have only focused on what is immediately in front of us.
“This means that we have often neglected our long-term ambitions. We are all aware of what will be required to succeed and recruiting players will be of utmost importance.
Valerien Ismael is the new Baggies boss / Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
“Valerien and I will immediately focus on preparing the squad for the new season, together with Ian Pearce, our recruitment manager, to secure talented transfer targets that will strengthen us for the challenges ahead, so that the fans are once again proud to support this great club.
“I am happy to work with Valerien and I am sure that we will soon establish a strong relationship that will benefit the football club and its supporters.”
