West Brom are searching for a new manager following the departure of Sam Allardyce.

Allardyce replaced Slaven Bilic earlier this season with the hope that he could lead the club to Premier League safety.

But he failed in his task as West Brom were relegated back to the Championship. He left his post after the season had concluded.

Many names have been linked with the vacant post, including Chris Wilder, Frank Lampard and Roy Hodgson.

But, according to a report from Football Insider, a manager in England's third tier is now the favourite.

What is the latest West Brom manager news?

It has been reported that Michael Appleton is now the frontrunner to be named the new West Brom manager.

Contact has already been made with the 45-year-old to assess his interest in the role.

Does Appleton have any connections to West Brom?

Appleton played for the west Midlands club for two years from 2001-2003.

He featured 38 times before hanging up his boots.

Appleton would perform various coaching roles at West Brom before being appointed caretaker manager in 2011.

He left shortly after, before returning as a first-team coach in April 2019. He left to take the Lincoln job five months later.

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How has Appleton done this season?

Appleton is currently manager of League One side, Lincoln City.

He guided the Imps to a fifth place this season. They made it to the League One playoff final but narrowly lost out to Blackpool at Wembley.

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Does Appleton want to return to West Brom?

Yes. Appleton is keen to return to a club he has spent many years at previously.

West Brom will have to pay compensation to bring him back to the club should they decide to offer him the role.