West Bromwich Albion have been handed a boost in their bid to appoint Derek McInnes as Sam Allardyce's successor at The Hawthorns this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by the Express & Star, who claim that the former Aberdeen manager is interested in taking over the vacant managerial position at West Brom this summer.

The Baggies have so far endured a rather tedious search in their bid to appoint a new manager, with David Wagner rejecting the club's offer in favour of taking over at BSC Young Boys, while the West Brom owner, Guochuan Lai, also vetoed a move for Chris Wilder.

Fans should be buzzing

While McInnes might not be the most attractive of names linked with the West Brom job, there are plenty of reasons why, if the 49-year-old does go on to become Sam Allardyce's replacement this summer, fans of the club should be buzzing.

After taking over a mid-table Scottish Championship St. Johnstone side back in 2007/08, McInnes led the side to the second tier title in just his second season at the club, before gradually going on to establish the Saints as a solid Scottish Premiership side, finishing eighth in back to back seasons, before leaving the club in 5th place in the top flight of Scottish football.

The 49-year-old then moved south of the border to a Bristol City side that were rooted to the bottom of the Championship table, leading the Robins on an eight-game unbeaten run that saw the club remarkably survive the drop in 2011/12, eventually finishing in 20th place.

A move back to Scotland followed, where McInnes would spend eight full seasons at Aberdeen. At Pittodrie, the Paisley-born manager would never finish lower than fourth place in the Scottish top flight, and on four occasions finished as league runners up.

He also took the Dons to 11 cup semi-finals and five finals in his time at the club, in addition to winning Aberdeen's first trophy for 19 years by lifting the Scottish League Cup in 2013/14, as well as guiding the team to the third qualifying round of the Europa League, only to lose out to Real Sociedad.

Furthermore, McInnes has built something of a reputation for developing young players, while Sir Alex Ferguson has also labelled the 49-year-old a "top-class" coach.

As such, while he may not have a great deal of experience in the English leagues behind him, McInnes certainly has the pedigree for building and subsequently sustaining a side in the top flight of their respective division, something that West Brom and their fans would undoubtedly grasp with both hands regarding a return to the Premier League.

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