Albion were taken by surprise when Graham Potter went to Chelsea.

They still managed to have Roberto De Zerbi lined up within a very few days.

This time one suspects the parting of the ways did not come out of the blue.

Paul Barber might tell us more when he takes questions from the media at the Manchester United game.

Even if it looked like RDZ would stay, they must have had half a mind that they might need to put a succession plan into operation.

As with De Zerbi, the chance is there not to look for a replica of the previous boss but to add something.

Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town quickly emerged as favourite with the bookies.

The former Manchester United coach, 38, was speculatively linked with Albion in 2022, even as De Zerbi packed his bags to head to England – so those speculating didn’t get it right that time.

Fortunately, a close contact to De Zerbi in Italy had already let the cat out of the bag.

McKenna has just led Ipswich to back-to-back promotions, playing some stunning football and defying teams with bigger budgets.

De Zerbi recently said that their style of football suited, for example, Jeremy Sarmiento, the winger on loan from the Seagulls.

While betting odds are not always a good guide, I understand there is a feeling among close Ipswich watchers that, of all the clubs with whom McKenna has been linked, Albion have been regarded as the one of whom to be a little worried.

They are far more advanced than Ipswich with recruitment and facilities.

And he could see how tough it was for Vincent Kompany to produce their flowing football of the Championship when Burnley stepped up.

Like De Zerbi, McKenna is known to be seriously ambitious.

Tony Bloom has a good record on recruitment of managers and head coaches.

The higher the club climb, the harder it becomes to further raise the bar.

They do not need to act as quickly this time as they did in 2022, when the season was in progress (albeit temporarily on hold due to the Queen’s death).

But they will be keen to get on with it and may well have a clear idea of where they are going already.