Blackburn Rovers will have to pay £250,000 to land reported managerial target Richie Wellens from Leyton Orient, according to journalist Alan Nixon.
The Championship outfit are on the search for a new head coach after John Eustace opted to join fellow Championship outfit Derby County earlier this week. It was the news which rocked the Lancashire outfit, with the 45-year-old having turned Blackburn from relegation candidates to promotion chasers in the space of 12 months.
First team coach David Lowe was in interim charge for yesterday’s 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle, a result which kept Rovers fifth and, more importantly, four points above seventh-placed Coventry City.
Blackburn Keen On Wellens
It is reported that Blackburn have set their sights on Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens. The 44-year-old has emerged as one of the top coaches in League One having achieved promotion from League Two with the O’s in 2023.
A first season in the third tier saw him achieve a respectable 11th-placed finish, but they have come into their own this season. They have lost just one of their last 14 league outings, winning 11, with yesterday’s last-gasp 3-2 victory over Lincoln City seeing them move into the final play-off place in sixth.
The Londoners appear as if they will face a battle to keep their main man though. According to Nixon, they are prepared for a potential move from the Championship and have placed a £250,000 fee on his head.
It is further claimed that Blackburn will hold talks with potential candidates this week in the hope that an appointment can be made before next weekend’s clash with Swansea City. Lee Carsley, Rob Edwards, Steven Gerrard and Gary O’Neil have all been linked with the vacant position at Ewood Park.
Writer’s View
Wellens would be an excellent appointment for Blackburn, whilst it would be a fantastic opportunity for the former Doncaster Rovers boss to try his luck in the Championship. Despite the adversity he faced off the pitch, John Eustace has almost performed miracles to put the 1995 Premier League champions in contention for a play-off place. This will see his successor handed a golden opportunity to put a promotion on their CV whilst also guiding the club back to the top tier for the first time since 2012. Wellens could be that man and the £250,000 compensation fee is unlikely to sway them. Afterall, they did land a reported £750,000 from Derby for Eustace.
