Blackburn Rovers are poised to appoint John Eustace as their new manager, with Jon Dahl Tomasson poised to leave his position, according to the Lancashire Telegraph.
Ex-Birmingham City man Eustace has been out of work since being relieved by the West Midlands club back in October. His dismissal came as a shock as his side sat in sixth position in the Championship, with 18 points from their opening 11 matches.
The Blues had been taken over by an American buyer in the summer, however, and they wanted their own man in. In came Wayne Rooney, although the England legend lasted just 15 games before he too found himself cast aside after an alarming slip down the table.
It is said that Eustace could be in charge for the home game against Stoke City as early as tomorrow. However, if he isn’t appointed in time, current interims Damien Johnson and David Lowe are set to take charge.
Tomasson has been in charge since June 2022 but has bashed heads with the board a few times recently. This includes the Duncan McGuire transfer saga which Rovers did appeal, but were unsuccessful with the player remaining with MLS side Orlando City.
He was also blocked from doing media duties by the club last Friday, but later revealed that he had offered to leave the club last summer, saying:
“Last season, we played for play-offs without a senior striker in the most important games. Things changed in the summer. It was like a hand grenade, the budget changed.
“I told the club that it wasn’t the project I signed up for. I told them that it was a different situation, not what I signed up for and I asked if they wanted to find another head coach for this project.
“We can terminate my contract, no problem, I don’t want any money. This was in the summer, I said that to the club. It’s a very difficult financial situation so that’s what I said.
“It shouldn’t be an issue with me, if they want to terminate it I didn’t want money. I said if they needed to, when the project changed, a new head coach for the new project, I would go. They wanted me to stay.”
It is expected that Tomasson’s departure will be worded as mutual consent, and Eustace will be immediately named as his replacement.
Rovers sat in seventh at the beginning of December but now find themselves in a relegation battle, just five points separating themselves and QPR, who occupy the final relegation spot.
Writer’s View
This could prove to be a very shrewd appointment and one that settles Rovers down a bit for the run-in. Eustace had a very good record with Birmingham and was a huge fan favourite at St Andrew’s.
The move represents a bit of a coup for the Championship strugglers, with the 44-year-old touted by a number of clubs throughout the past few months. As for Tomasson, he looks in line to land the Sweden job so won’t be too disappointed.
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