West Brom Announce Slaven Bilic Has Been Appointed as New First-Team Manager
West Brom have confirmed that former West Ham manager Slaven Bilić has taken over as the club's new first-team manager ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.
The club have been on the hunt for a permanent boss since Darren Moore's departure in March, with James Shan taking caretaker charge through to the end of the season.
West Brom have been linked with a number of names in the build up to the summer, but they've now confirmed that Bilić will take over with immediate effect.
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Speaking following his appointment, Bilic stated: “I’m delighted with this opportunity of course.
"We want to improve, we want to improve on the pitch and Albion have convinced me they want to return to the Premier League. Albion have a short-term project and a long project and they do not clash.
“They wanted me to lead them, to help improve them. They made it clear they wanted me to be the one to lead them in this and I didn’t think twice once they had spoken to me."
The 50-year-old has put pen to paper on a two-year contract at The Hawthorns.
Bilić's last job was in charge of Al-Ittihad Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, but he's most notably remembered for his spells at West Ham and with the Croatian national team.
Whilst in east London, Bilić was in the dugout for the Hammers over a two-year period, taking charge of 109 games across all competitions. During his first season with West Ham, Bilić secured a seventh-place finish in the Premier League, but his side couldn't replicate their form the following year and they finished just 11 points above the relegation zone.
Bilić spent time in Russia and Turkey prior to joining West Ham, but his longest managerial spell came while in charge of the Croatian national team.
He spent six years with the Vatreni, taking over in the aftermath of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Croatia ultimately failed to qualify for the next World Cup in 2010, but Bilić did guide his side into the knockout stages of Euro 2008 before being forced out when they failed to make it out of the group stages in 2012.
