Blackburn Rovers are keen to appoint former Premier League manager Gary O’Neil as their new head coach, according to journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon.
Ex Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth boss O’Neil is said to be one of several names on the list for the role at Ewood Park, and the only one currently based in the UK.
Former Championship managers Aitor Karanka and Carlos Carvalhal are reportedly also of interest to the hierarchy at Blackburn, as are former Coventry City coach George Boateng and current Young Boys manager Raphael Wicky, who was previously of interest to Rovers’ promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion.
Should he be appointed, the job would be O’Neil’s first outside the top flight, having held two Premier League roles in his short managerial career thus far. He was sacked from his previous role in December, with Wolves lying in the relegation zone after a difficult start to the season.
Blackburn’s search for a new man in the dugout comes after they granted permission for current boss John Eustace to enter talks over the vacant managerial role at Derby County. Highly-rated Eustace is reportedly unhappy at a perceived lack of backing in Lancashire, and looks set to be willing to drop to the lower end of the league to replace Paul Warne at Derby.
Rovers fans will be hoping any uncertainty around their coaching setup is sorted sooner rather than later, with plenty to play for this season. The club find themselves 6th in the table, just inside the play-offs, despite a poor run and being knocked out of the FA Cup. If they want to maintain a promotion push this season they’ll have to arrest that spell and a new manager will have to hit the ground running. Whether that is O’Neil or someone else remains to be seen.
Writer’s View
This is potentially a great match for both club and manager. Blackburn will not want to lose Eustace and need someone who can carry on their promotion push and change their fortunes – O’Neil may be the man to do that with his Premier League experience. As for O’Neil himself, a drop down a division may be needed to help his reputation after a difficult end to his last job. Pushing Blackburn forward and getting a promotion on his CV may be what he needs.
