West Bromwich Albion are interested in a move to appoint Enzo Maresca as Valerien Ismael’s successor at The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Rob Dorsett, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing in a recent post on Twitter that the former Parma Calcio 1913 head coach is a name that the West Brom board are considering following the Frenchman’s sacking on Wednesday afternoon.

In his tweet, Dorsett said: “I’m told Enzo Maresca a serious option for WBA but board, led by new CEO Ron Gourlay, will take time to assess. James Morrison took training today and will continue to. Albion were reluctant to lose Ismael (especially after paying £2m compensation) but results just too poor.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how highly rated a coach Maresca is, the news that Albion are considering the 41-year-old as their next manager is sure to have left The Hawthorns faithful buzzing.

Having gained experience working as Vincenzo Montella’s assistant manager at Sevilla, Manuel Pellegrini’s number two at West Ham United and – after being personally scouted for the job by Pep Guardiola – spending the best part of a season as the Manchester City U23 head coach, the Italian was subsequently linked with a move to Celtic last summer – although an offer from the Scottish club is not believed to have materialised.

However, with the manager very much looking to be a deep-thinker regarding tactics and the way football should be played, it would appear as if, should the Baggies go on to appoint Maresca, the football on show would be hugely different to that on display under the leadership of Ismael.

Indeed, speaking about his approach to the game, the 41-year-old said: “My thesis at Coverciano is called ‘Football and Chess’. There are a lot of similarities. The most important is positional play and strategy. For a coach, it’s important to have the mentality of a chess player: develop a plan, study counter moves, choose the arrangement of the pieces.”

As such, while Maresca may be lacking in experience in professional management, should West Brom take a chance on the young coach, it could well be rewarded with an incredibly exciting and successful brand of football – something that the Albion fans would undoubtedly love to see.

In other news: Fresh update: West Brom handed huge injury boost that’ll leave Ismael elated