West Brom appoint Irvine

West Brom have appointed Everton academy manager Alan Irvine as their new head coach on a 12-month rolling contract.

Former Preston North End and Sheffield Wednesday boss Irvine, who also worked under David Moyes at Everton, has been chosen to succeed Pepe Mel.

Spaniard Mel, appointed mid-season following the dismissal of Steve Clarke, left the club after West Brom narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League.

Irvine will take over when his current role at Everton comes to an end, while Rob Kelly will come in as joint-assistant head coach alongside Keith Downing, who briefly took temporary charge of first-team affairs last term prior to Mel’s arrival.

Dean Kiely is to remain at The Hawthorns as goalkeeping coach and technical director Terry Burton is pleased with West Brom’s new coaching set-up.

“I’m delighted we have been able to secure the services of Alan and Rob,” Burton told West Brom’s official website.

“With the support of Keith and Dean, we firmly believe we have put in place the right coaching team to move the club forward.

“From the outset, we decided to pursue candidates who are renowned for their coaching ability and Alan was very much at the forefront of our thoughts because of his achievements in the Premier League and the high regard he is held within the game.

“In the end it came down to two outstanding candidates for the role.

“But, following a detailed recruitment process, we decided Alan and the team around him are best suited to tackle the challenges we face in the Barclays Premier League.

“He has a vast knowledge from grassroots up thanks to the roles he has performed during his decades in the game and knows what it takes through good and testing times.”

Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood was strongly linked with the West Brom coaching vacancy in the days leading up to Irvine’s appointment.