Ole Gunnar Solskjaer unlikely to take Albion job
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is unlikely to be Albion's new head coach despite the Manchester United hero's current club claiming interest from abroad in their manager.
The Baggies are looking to draw up a shortlist of candidates to replace Steve Clarke in the next few days but Solskjaer, who tops an Express & Star fans' poll with around a quarter of more than 5,000 votes, is not currently in their thinking.
The Hawthorns hierarchy have also decided against pursuing Argentine Mauricio Pellegrino for the time being while Roberto Di Matteo, Mike Phelan and Michael Appleton had already been ruled out and Andre Villas-Boas and Martin Jol are not being actively pursued for the time being.
Solskjaer's odds of succeeding Clarke dropped with bookmakers yesterday after Molde director Tarje Jakobsen reportedly confirmed an approach from a foreign club.
However, the Baggies have not contacted Molde and are not currently considering the 40-year-old, who famously scored the winning injury-time goal for United in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
Sources in Norway also clarified that Jakobsen's comments had related to several informal enquiries and not an official request to interview their manager.
Pellegrino was discussed but he, too, has been discounted for the time being. The former Liverpool coach is currently in charge of Estudiantes.
German Ralf Rangnick impressed Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace during the last managerial hunt in 2011 but a member of the 55-year-old's camp today claimed there had been no contact so far this time around.
He had left Schalke in 2011 citing exhaustion, but friends claim he is now ready to swap his job as sporting director for Red Bull's two European teams for a return to front-line coaching.
Gianfranco Zola, who quit Watford on Monday, is another possible option but he is currently thought to be abroad and his close friendship with Clarke and the poor end to his spell at Vicarage Road could count against him.
Cardiff's Malky Mackay is liked at The Hawthorns and his position in Wales is hugely uncertain after a fall-out with owner Vincent Tan, but it is unclear whether he will be sacked quickly enough to become a serious Baggies contender.
