West Brom's Chinese owners are considering an SOS to Sam Allardyce as they panic about potential relegation.
Albion fired Tony Pulis after failing to win in 11 games, as Mirror Football reported following the 4-0 home loss to Chelsea.
The Hawthorns outfit are now mulling over an approach for ex-England boss Allardyce with the side 17th in the top-flight, just a point above the drop zone.
Allardyce , 63, was keen earlier this month on a return to the Premier League with Everton.
But the Toffees' wealthy ambitious owner Farhad Moshiri cooled on him as he wants to attract big-name players in future.
Yet Albion do not have vast resources as owner Guochuan Lai acquired the club with a view to running it profitably.
He bought out Jeremy Peace in 2016 on the basis of Albion being a sustainable, established Premier League outfit.
It meant Lai was willing to stomach Pulis' pragmatic brand of football while it was yielding results , including 10th place last term.
But despite Pulis never being relegated before, Lai pulled the trigger after just two wins in 21 games since last April.
Allardyce is now close to emerging as Albion's preferred option after his work keeping both Crystal Palace and Sunderland up against the odds the past two seasons.
His style may not be viewed by entertainment-starved Albion fans as a huge improvement on Pulis' but Lai wants survival.
Allardyce was born in Dudley and previously was sacked by the club in 1991 at the outset of his coaching career as Brian Talbot's first team coach there.
But he has since established a reputation as a proven Premier League boss which saw him briefly hired by England last year before being sacked after just 67 days.
Albion chairman John Williams and chief executive Martin Goodman both worked with Allardyce at Blackburn.
If Albion are unable to hire him, they also have an interest in former Leicester boss Nigel Pearson, an ex-Albion assistant under Bryan Robson.
Pearson is managing in the Belgian second division at OH Leuven but famously kept Leicester up in 2015 in their 'Great Escape' and laid the foundations for their shock title triumph.
Both men could hire ex-WBA coach Craig Shakespeare, out of work himself since being axed by Leicester.
Elsewhere unemployed Alan Pardew has told pals he would be willing to 'take the hand-brake off' at Albion by playing more adventurous football.
Pulis, on £2million-a-year at The Hawthorns, will pocket a similar sum as a pay-out.
Baggies chairman Williams said: "These decisions are never taken lightly but always in the interests of the club.
"We are in a results business and over the back end of last season and this season to date, ours have been very disappointing.
"We would like to place on record our appreciation of Tony's contribution and hard work during a period of transition for the club which included a change of ownership. We wish him well in his future endeavours."
Assistant head coach and former manager Gary Megson is in charge until further notice ahead of Saturday's game at Spurs.