Corberan revives West Brom without spending a penny
By John Percy · May 11, 2024
West Bromwich Albion fans call him “King Carlos” and, ahead of the Championship play- offs, he remains the club’s greatest weapon in the quest for promotion.
Carlos Corberan is the meticulous tactician who has performed one of the most underrated jobs outside the Premier League this season, during a period of huge turmoil off the field.
When the nominees for the Championship manager of the season were revealed, he was not on a list that included Kieran McKenna ( Ipswich Town), Liam Rosenior ( sacked by Hull City on Tuesday) and Daniel Farke ( Leeds United). Other notable absentees included Danny Rohl (Sheffield Wednesday) and Marti Cifuentes (Queens Park Rangers).
Corberan’s achievements demand closer inspection. His first was navigating Albion through the storm under former owner Guochaun Lai and now towards a bright future with Shilen Patel.
Corberan did not allow the offfield matters to infiltrate the training base and, as the cash ran out, ensured that the players were fully focused on football.
He now has a close relationship with Patel, the new owner who will be at the Hawthorns for the semifinal first leg against Southampton tomorrow.
The pair are already planning for next season, with a Plan A and Plan B under discussion.
To put Corberan’s work into further context, he is one of only two Championship managers not to spend a penny on transfers this season. Indeed, the coach from the Valencian community of Cheste has not bought any players since his appointment in October 2022.
With the parachute payments from relegation in 2021 expiring last summer, Corberan’s options have been restricted.
Some of the high earners from the Premier League have remained on the books, further tightening the purse strings, so Corberan has had to maximise everything from the players available.
While his work in the transfer market has been limited, there have been success stories.
Take winge r Mikey Johnston, for example. Out of the picture at Celtic, he has performed brilliantly since signing on loan in January, with seven goals and one assist.
Corberan first spotted Johnston playing for the Republic of Ireland in a friendly, alongside Albion midfielder Jayson Molumby. He was then flagged to the recruitment team and eventually signed when Brighton decided to end winger Jeremy Sarmiento’s loan deal.
There is no question that West Brom will be perfectly prepared for the semi-final.
A disciple of former Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa, Corberan’s game is based on explosive highintensity and the intention to always outrun the opposition. There is likely to be a message of “good luck” from his mentor.
“Working with him was a privilege and the experience helped me develop as a coach,” Corberan says. “Before I worked with him, I thought I was ready to be a head coach, but I learnt amazing things, in every area. The fact I can keep this relationship now is a privilege.”
Corberan’s methods demand total engagement from his players. Training sessions are long and detailed.
Meetings are very frequent. Before matches, every player is called into Corberan’s office for an individual 15-minute briefing.
WBA v Southampton
Tomorrow 2.15pm, Sky Sp
Telegraph Sport was fortunate to witness Corberan and his coaching staff up close during a training session in November, and it was absorbing to watch.
It is clear that this famous old club have got under his skin. Before that training session, he made it clear he did not want the article to read like a CV piece as an advert to other clubs.
He lives in Birmingham’s city centre and there was recently a new addition to the family in son Dario.
Now, after a tough 46-game season, comes the pressure of the playoffs. Corberan does have past experience with Huddersfield Town, and those memories will not be fond ones. After guiding the team to a Wembley final in 2022, they lost against Nottingham Forest in a game littered with controversial VAR decisions.
West Brom have lost both league games against Russell Martin’s Southampton this season, with the 2-1 defeat at St Mary’s on Nov 11 a particular frustration.
Yet, with Corberan around, there is always hope. West Brom fans will hope to hail their king a f t e r the final on May 26.
