Malky Mackay on West Brom's radar

Caretaker boss Keith Downing was due to lead training for the first time as the Baggies squad returned from a two-day break to begin preparing for Saturday's vital clash with Hull.

But all eyes remain on the search for Steve Clarke's successor – and Mackay's latest fall-out with his employers could add a new name to the mix.

Sacked Tottenham chief Andre Villas-Boas and former Watford manager Gianfranco Zola are also expected to be discussed by Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace, but Mackay's situation is the most intriguing for Albion after a day of managerial drama yesterday.

Simmering tensions between the Scot and Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan exploded to the surface again last night when chief executive Simon Lin issued a statement claiming the Malaysian businessman was "extremely upset" by Mackay's latest comments about transfer plans.

Lin claimed "not a penny" would be made available to Mackay, who claimed after Saturday's 1-0 win against the Baggies that he wanted three more players in January. That has left Mackay's future in fresh doubt and potentially alerted Peace, who is known to be an admirer of Mackay after the former Watford boss was recommended to the Baggies during previous managerial hunts.

However, Mackay is thought to be reluctant to resign so Albion might need Tan to lose patience if the ex-Scotland centre-back is to become available. The Bluebirds travel to Anfield on Saturday and Mackay's odds of becoming the new Albion boss tumbled last night from 25-1 to 9-1.

Meanwhile, Zola was installed as bookmakers' favourite today after quitting the Hornets last night and his Premier League experience at West Ham could lead to some contact from the Baggies.

However, the Italian remains close to Clarke and his reputation has been damaged by a poor season at Vicarage Road.

Villas-Boas is also now available after being fired by Spurs and the Baggies could sound out his representatives, but his wages are an obvious stumbling block along with his recent failures at White Hart Lane and previously at Chelsea.

Former Tottenham boss Martin Jol remains a strong candidate and is expected to be spoken to early in the process.