Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Ryan Mason will continue as West Bromwich-Albion manager as the first days of 2026 approach.
The former Tottenham Hotspur manager turned Baggies boss appeared to be on shaky ground regarding his long-term future, but he has now freed himself from some of those immediate pressures, having led the West Midlands side to a slim 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers last time out.
Of course, Mason will know, if he can’t string together a consistent series of Championship results to move his team up the standings, he could soon find himself on the chopping block.
But, with the January transfer window soon to reopen, the rookie head coach will be praying he remains in charge, with a few positive entries into the building perhaps helping him in his long-term mission to turn around the fortunes at the Hawthorns.
West Brom keen on move for Premier League youngster
Most of the talk in recent times has been about different managers coming in to replace Mason, with Michael Carrick constantly tipped to take over, having found himself still out of work after leaving Middlesbrough.
But some transfer whispers are now surfacing as the new year approaches, with Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele says that West Brom are in the race to loan Liverpool youngster James McConnell.
McConnell currently finds himself on loan at Ajax, but with his minutes remaining irregular in Amsterdam, it seems likely that Arne Slot’s Reds will recall him from his disappointing stay in the Eredivisie and potentially loan him out to the Championship.
Previously interested in the 21-year-old’s services before moving to the Dutch capital, West Brom hope to land his signature in January, but Derby County, Oxford United and Swansea City have also been named as other interested suitors from the EFL.
Mason would also love to work alongside McConnell, having been an influential figure at Spurs with the next generation arriving in north London, with the Newcastle-born midfielder potentially even becoming a Mikey Johnston-style transfer for the under-fire 34-year-old.
Why McConnell could be a repeat of January Johnston
In January 2024, Carlos Corberan was on the lookout for marquee signings to help West Brom secure a playoff spot.
He found exactly what he was looking for in Johnston, with the Spaniard going on to label the Celtic loanee as a player on loan from Celtic. “special” talent, having scored seven goals and two assists in just 20 loan spells.
He hasn’t abandoned his tools under Mason either, with nine assists next to his name this season, as McConnell now hopes he can click into the West Brom set-up just as easily, should he abandon Ajax for a chance at redemption with the Baggies.
After all, although he has only started one Eredivisie game to date under John Heitinga at Ajax, it is clear, looking at his numbers at Liverpool, that he could be as stylish and as impactful as the Irishman, having even been noted as a youngster who is “I liked it” by Slot in January.
|
McConnell’s career numbers by position |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
Goals + Passes |
|
CM |
39 |
7 + 5 |
|
DM |
30 |
1 + 3 |
|
AM |
8 |
1 + 1 |
|
L.M. |
2 |
1 + 1 |
|
RM |
2 |
1 + 0 |
|
R.B. |
2 |
0 |
|
FC |
1 |
0 |
|
L.W. |
1 |
0 |
|
Coming from Transfer market |
||
Jurgen Klopp would also praise McConnell as “special” when the highly-rated German was in charge of the Anfield giants, which saw the 21-year-old make 13 senior appearances for the Reds, with one assist notched.
His versatile nature also stands out as an asset in the table above, with his 23 goal contributions across many different age groups coming from a wide variety of positions, which have even included the young debutant at right-back at times.
McConnell could probably do with an arm around his shoulder from Mason as he tries to put the disappointment of his time at Ajax behind him, but Johnston was in this position once upon a time, having slipped down the pecking order at former club Celtic, before moving to England.
He is now a regular at West Brom and a beloved figure at the Hawthorns, with the dual England U20 international no doubt keen to revive his career in the same way.
Mason could soon count on McConnell if his team is stretched towards the latter stages of the campaign, in a season which could yet yield a surprise promotion, far from the persistent chatter that the hot and cold head coach could be sacked.
