REVEALED: Sam Allardyce will earn a huge £2MILLION bonus if he keeps West Brom up after replacing sacked Slaven Bilic on a deal until the end of the season with the option of an extra 12 months
Sam Allardyce is in line for a £2million bonus if he keeps West Brom in the Premier League as he returned to management following Slaven Bilic’s sacking.
The former England manager has agreed a deal at the Hawthorns until at least the end of the season. There is an option for the contract to be extended by a further 12 months if he manages to steer the club to safety.
He will be assisted by Sammy Lee, his close friend and long-time right hand man.
West Brom have confirmed Sam Allardyce has taken over as first team manager
Allardyce replaces Slaven Bilic, who was sacked in the aftermath of a draw with Man City
Allardyce, who had been set to go on a family holiday to Dubai before West Brom called, has been offered a hugely lucrative remuneration package by the Baggies, which is understood to include a stunning £2m payment to keep the club in the top-flight.
The 66-year-old, who has been out of work since Everton sacked him in May 2018, has never been relegated as a Premier League manager.
West Brom, who are currently 19th with seven points, are anxious for that run to continue following his appointment – which was confirmed at 5pm.
Luke Dowling, West Brom’s Sporting Director, said: ‘In Sam, we have a man who has a proven Premier League pedigree with a track record of improving every club he has managed.
‘We believe and, more importantly, Sam believes we have a group of players that have the quality needed to give the club its best chance of Premier League survival.’
Sportsmail first flagged Bilic’s precarious position as Baggies boss in August amid tensions with senior members of the club’s hierarchy over their recruitment plans.
The 66-year-old has been out of management since he was dismissed by Everton in 2018
West Brom become Allardyce’s 13th job as a manager and his eighth in the top flight
He was on the brink at the beginning of November and West Brom considered cutting ties with him before the last international break. Sportsmail then reported last Thursday that Bilic would be sacked if they lost at Newcastle on Sunday.
Bilic’s team were beaten 2-1 at St James Park and a decision was taken after the loss to replace the Croatian regardless of the outcome of Tuesday’s game against Manchester City, a game they drew 1-1.
The former West Ham boss reported for training on Wednesday morning at 9.30am, having learnt of reports in the early hours about his future on the way back from the Etihad Stadium. No club officials sought to contact him.
He wasn’t told he was sacked until 11.45am – the news was broken to him in his office by Le Xu, the club’s chief executive.
Prior to that meeting, his assistants Dean Raeunica, Danilo Butorovia and Julian Dicks all received phone calls to tell them they had been placed on gardening leave until June 30.
Allardyce pulled off arguably his greatest escape when he saved Sunderland in 2016
The veteran boss is the only man in history to have managed both Newcastle and Sunderland
The terms of Bilic’s contract mean West Brom must pay him up the entirety of his deal – which had six months remaining, within 14 days.
Wednesday’s news will not have come as a surprise to Bilic, however, he has known for months that his position was vulnerable.
West Brom have been making plans for a change in manager for some time and they sounded out Chris Hughton in September but he had committed to takeover at Nottingham Forest. It is also understood Mark Hughes has been another contender for the job in recent days.
Bilic, who had got West Brom promoted ahead of schedule, is bitterly disappointed with how things have ended for him at The Hawthorns. He retained the faith of the squad and was convinced they would stay up.
The onus will now be on Allardyce to do what he does best, starting on Sunday against Aston Villa.
His ill-fated spell in charge of the England team lasted just 67 days and one game
