West Brom set to appoint Chinese director Li Piyue as chairman this week

The 45-year-old has been owner Guochuan Lai's representative on the board since the takeover in 2016.

But Li is now going to step up as chairman, with an official announcement expected on Tuesday.

He is replacing John Williams, who was sacked in February, and will be the second big appointment the club has made in the past few days following Darren Moore's promotion to permanent head coach last Friday.

Owner Lai is strengthening his grip on club matters following a disastrous campaign that saw the Baggies relegated.

He has also recently added another business associate, Ke Xu, to the board.

Li and Xu will now work closely with Moore and technical consultant Giuliano Terraneo to plan for next season's assault on the Championship.

Moore, who has been given the full-time job following a successful stint as caretaker boss, will flesh out his plans for the summer at his official unveiling to the press today.

Over the weekend, the Baggies announced a new project that would see them give every first-team player - past and present - a specially-crafted cap.

Debutants will be handed the cap in the dressing room before matches and the idea is designed to remind players that playing for the Albion is something to treasure and covet.

The project is being led by programme editor and club archivist Dave Bowler, who said: “As you all know, when a footballer plays for his country, he is awarded a cap to mark the occasion.

“Well, it seemed to us that playing for England, Scotland, Wales and the like, it’s all very nice, but it’s not like playing for the Albion is it?

“So last year, we decided that we were going to reward every player – past, present and future - who has represented us in the league with a special Albion cap.

“We’ve had 911 players to date, from Bassett to Sturridge, and a unique cap has been made for each one, those still amongst us and those who have passed."

The cap features the original club crest from 1884 and the famous WBA lettering from the 1970s. Each one is individually numbered.

“Over the course of the next year or two we will be tracking down as many of our former players as we possibly can in order to present them with their caps, while we will also be looking for family members from those players who have passed so that the caps can be placed in the right hands in perpetuity," said Bowler.

“We’ve made our start and begun to give those men who built this football club a lasting memento of their pace in our hearts - a timely reminder that whatever our temporary misfortunes might be, there is no other football club like West Bromwich Albion.”