Former West Brom coach frontrunner for first permanent EFL head coach role
The Yorkshire-born coach worked under Baggies boss Carlos Corberan for several months.
Former Albion coach Martin Drury is a leading contender to land his first league job as a head coach.
The 40-year-old, who worked under Carlos Corberan at The Hawthorns, has been in acting charge at Huddersfield Town since the end of March.
He and assistant Jon Stead, the former striker, stepped up from the Terriers’ backroom staff into the position after first-team boss Liam Manning took time out for compassionate leave.
It was confirmed earlier in May that former Bristol City and Norwich boss Manning would not return to his role. The compassionate leave was taken with “ongoing personal matters” related to the death of Manning’s newborn son Theo in October 2024.
Huddersfield were beaten just once in seven games - including four draws - under Drury in the final month of the season and finished ninth in the third tier.
Drury, who was born in Huddersfield, retired from playing aged 28 and took up his first managerial job at non-league Bradford Park Avenue, the final club of his playing career.
He spent around six years at Bradford City, including briefly in caretaker charge, before a switch to Manchester United’s academy in 2022.
Former Albion boss Corberan grew a relationship with Drury while the former worked at both Leeds and Huddersfield and in 2024 the highly-regarded Drury was brought in as one of the Spaniard's assistant coaches at The Hawthorns.
His stint at the club only lasted from August to January 2025, however, as Drury followed Corberan to Spanish outfit Valencia.
The coach spent just half-a-season with Corberan at the Mestalla and returned to England as assistant first-team coach under Keith Andrews at Brentford in the Premier League.
He switched to hometown club Huddersfield as assistant in January this year and took the acting role as Manning stepped away from the club.
Reports suggest the Terriers have been pleased with how Drury and ex-Blackburn frontman Stead saw out the final month of the season at the helm at the Accu Stadium.
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