West Bromwich Albion have appointed former Manchester United coach Eric Ramsay as their new head coach.
The 34-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half year contract to replace Ryan Mason who was sacked on Tuesday after a 10th successive away defeat left them 18th in the Championship table, seven points above the relegation zone.
Ramsay, who was on Albion’s radar before Mason was appointed in the summer, arrives at The Hawthorns from his first senior managerial role with Major League Soccer side Minnesota United, where he led them to back-to-back Conference play-off semi-finals.
He also guided the team to their highest place league finish of fourth in the Western Conference last season.
“Throughout our recruitment process, Eric consistently exhibited the qualities to lead and succeed in the world’s most demanding football environment,” Albion chairman Shilan Patel told the club’s website.
“In his time as a head coach, his teams have been characterised by intensity, organisation, and adaptability – all critical for the sustained success and growth that we envision in the short and long term.”
Prior to his move to the United States, the Shrewsbury-born Welshman was a first-team coach at Manchester United under Erik ten Hag and took on an assistant coach role with the Wales men’s team.
He will be joined at West Brom by his assistant at Minnesota, Dennis Lawrence, who was part of Mark Robins’ backroom team at Coventry City.
In a league as competitive as the Championship, the Baggies have been impressed by their new man’s ability to compete against more moneyed teams in the USA.
“Eric’s leadership qualities and attention to detail are key traits that stuck out to us, and he has demonstrated an ability to adapt his playing style to get the best from players at his disposal without compromising his football philosophy,” said Albion’s president and sporting director Andrew Nestor.
“His recent work as head coach at Minnesota over the past two seasons has reinforced this, having led a squad to perform well beyond expectations against clubs with greater budgets.”
Ramsay’s first league game in charge will be against second-placed Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns on Friday (20:00 GMT)
By Steve Hermon, West Brom commentator for BBC Radio WM
It has been a dramatic 2026 for West Bromwich Albion and there is a fitting sense of narrative that Eric Ramsay takes the reins just hours after the Baggies have finally ended their away woes at the football club where he earned his first professional coaching role in the game.
His route into coaching began at Swansea after he stopped playing in the Welsh Premier League for Welshpool, near to where he grew up.
That decision means that while he might be the same age as predecessor Ryan Mason, he has racked up some valuable experience at Swansea, Shrewsbury, Manchester United and Chelsea, which is where he became the youngest person to achieve their Uefa Pro License.
Despite interest from English clubs, he took the bold step of becoming a head coach in the MLS in 2024. He was tasked with coaching a Minnesota United squad that did not have the biggest budget, and he got them into the play-offs in his two seasons there.
He will be hoping to do exactly same at Albion, perhaps not this season, but certainly there will be the expectation to make a push for the top six in the next campaign.
Some fans will have reservations that the club has gone for another young head coach, but the cliché is that age is just a number and owners Bilkul have praised his “significant experience” and “deep understanding” of English football.
They have also picked out his “intensity, organisation, and adaptability”, and he will need all those skills to help make an immediate impact and move this underperforming squad back in a positive direction.
