Linked with West Brom job in November, Oscar Garcia is available again

Add as preferred source on Google

Olympiakos have had something of a troubled week. After a draw with Levadiakos last weekend the Greek Superleague title looks out of reach. AEK Athens or PAOK Salonika now look likely to break the 24-year long Olympiakos-Panathinaikos power struggle.

After the result, the club’s owner Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Championship side Nottingham Forest, decided to fine the entire first-team squad and send them all on holiday.

It was a drastic move and now Olympiakos have also parted way with their manager. Oscar Garcia left the club yesterday by mutual consent.

So will West Brom take this news well?

When West Brom sacked Tony Pulis in November the series of events that followed were probably not predicted at The Hawthorns. West Brom eventually appointed Alan Pardew but the former Crystal Palace and Newcastle United manager could not turn things around and the Baggies look destined for the Championship.

Prior to hiring Pardew, Garcia was heavily linked with the role. TalkSPORT reported that the Spaniard wanted the job after Spanish paper Sport reported that he was on the shortlist for the role.

Garcia had just left French side Saint-Etienne after a poor run of results and a return to England would have been a great move for the Spaniard.

It never happened and in January he took over at chaos club Olympiakos, which has clearly not worked out.

Despite his recent struggles in both France and Greece, the 44-year-old should be considered a serious option by West Brom this summer – as they seek a new manager to replace the recently departed Pardew.

Garcia could be perfect for the role. Not because of his success with Austrian outfit Red Bull Salzburg or Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv. Instead, West Brom should look at his time in England.

In his one season at Brighton and Hove Albion, he took the Seagulls to the Championship play-offs, where they lost in the semi-final to Derby County.

He then got the job at Watford, but never had the chance to impress after a minor health scare saw him step down and take a year out of the game.

Winning the double two years running with Salzburg was his next step and West Brom would be wrong to discount him in the summer based on his last two jobs.

With his Championship experience and exciting brand of football, he could be the change West Brom need to start afresh in the second-tier from next season.