Albion chairman Tony Bloom has narrowed down the field in the search for his first manager.

Motherwell boss Jim Gannon, Scunthorpe chief Nigel Adkins and former Tottenham assistant Gus Poyet head Bloom’s shortlist.

Interviews will take place over the next few days and the Seagulls hope to have the new man in place for the Sky televised south coast derby at Southampton a week tomorrow.

Gannon turned Albion down earlier this year when Dick Knight was chairman.

He subsequently moved from Stockport to succeed ex-Albion supremo Mark McGhee at Motherwell.

Gannon is doing well with the Scottish Premier League club but the Seagulls believe he could be lured back south.

Adkins has impressed Bloom with the job he has done at Scunthorpe in steering them to promotion from League One twice in the past three seasons.

He has a ready-made assistant in former Albion centre half Andy Crosby, who is his No. 2 at Glanford Park.

Poyet was assistant manager at Spurs under Juande Ramos.

The Uruguyan worked before that with Dennis Wise at Leeds and Swindon but is a candidate in his own right for the Albion post.

Wise ruled himself out yesterday – although he was actually never in the running – but Colin Calderwood remains an interesting option for Bloom, having guided Nottingham Forest and Northampton to promotion from the lower divisions in recent seasons.

Former Manchester United and Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also thought to have expressed an interest.

He is currently in charge of the reserves at Old Trafford but lacks the experience of the other leading contenders and would be more of a gamble.