Michael Appleton is emerging as a serious contender to take over at West Bromwich Albion in the summer, as the club prepare for likely relegation to the Championship.

With Alan Pardew expected to leave at the end of Albion’s troubled season, the club are already targeting potential replacements and Appleton is understood to be high on the list.

The Leicester assistant manager is highly admired by Mark Jenkins, the West Brom chief executive who will be leading the club’s reboot in the summer, and fits the profile for their next head coach.

Appleton is a former Albion player and coach, establishing a fine reputation working alongside first Roberto di Matteo and then Roy Hodgson. He also has managerial experience after spells with Portsmouth, Blackpool , Blackburn and, most recently, Oxford United.

The 42-year-old left Oxford last summer to work under Craig Shakespeare at Leicester and is now joint assistant manager in Claude Puel’s backroom staff, following Shakespeare’s dismissal in October.

West Brom are believed to have identified Appleton as one of the leading candidates to take charge at the Hawthorns, as part of a huge rebuilding job in the summer.