Danny Rohl emerges as shock Sheffield United target if Ruben Selles is sacked | OneFootball

The former Sheffield Wednesday boss has been mentioned as a potential replacement for the Spaniard

Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl has emerged as a potential replacement for Ruben Selles, if the Spaniard is unable to turn around fortunes at cross-city rivals, Sheffield United.

The start to the Championship season couldn't have gone much worse for the two Steel City outfits, although amid all the off-field uncertainty and chaos at Hillsborough, the Owls remain above their neighbours, who are yet to accumulate a single point under the Spaniard thus far.

After suffering an agonising defeat in last term's play-off final to Sunderland at Wembley Stadium, American ownership group, COH Sports, swiftly appointed Selles in place of boyhood United supporter Chris Wilder, just a month after he was also relieved of his duties at Hull City after preserving the Tigers' second-tier status on goal difference.

However, just a month after departing S6 amid well-documented fallouts with Dejphon Chansiri, Rohl has reportedly been discussed as a replacement by those at Bramall Lane.

Danny Rohl could replace Ruben Selles at Sheffield United amid sack calls following disastrous Championship start

As mentioned previously, Selles was appointed in mid-June following COH Sports' controversial decision to end Wilder's second stint in charge of his boyhood club, with the hierarchy adopting an AI-led recruitment strategy in the process.

The former Southampton and Reading boss has welcomed 14 new faces to Bramall Lane during his first transfer window, many of whom were recruited in its latter stages, such as Ben Godfrey, Nils Zatterstrom, Danny Ings, Ben Mee, Tahith Chong, Chiedoze Ogbene, Japhet Tanganga, Mark McGuinness and Alex Matos.

Despite a flurry of transfer activity, Selles is yet to convince the masses in S2, with his tenure getting off to the worst possible start with a 4-1 defeat to Bristol City on the opening day, after which he came under scrutiny for conducting his post-match teamtalk on the pitch.

Since then, United have been dumped out of the EFL Cup by Birmingham City and lost all three subsequent Championship encounters against Swansea City, Millwall and most recently Middlesbrough, where the 42-year-old faced chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning," from an extremely unconvinced and frustrated away crowd at the Riverside Stadium.

Amid those sack calls, Alan Nixon has reported via Patreon that the aforementioned Rohl's name has been mentioned by names within the club as a potential replacement.

The 36-year-old is now available following his Hillsborough departure on August 1st, and Nixon claims he would not be put off in a move across the Steel City divide.

It remains to be seen how much longer Selles is given to turn the tide, with the report stating that COH Sports face a "big decision" if positive results don't come the Blades way anytime soon.

Danny Rohl appointment would be a bold move for Sheffield United following Ruben Selles' dismal start at Bramall Lane

Rohl earned a reputation as one of the Championship's most highly-rated managers during his one-and-a-half season stint with the Owls, which was largely down to his ability to preserve the club's second-tier status in 2023/24 after joining the then-winless South Yorkshire outfit.

A run of 15 wins in his first 35 games eventually saw Wednesday to safety on the final day, and he was also able to steer the club well clear of relegation trouble last season, although the club's home form left a lot to be desired.

The first rumblings of discontent came when Owls players received their March wages late - a development which has since continued many times under Chansiri - with the club then placed under a transfer embargo and fee restriction, which led to Rohl's departure by mutual consent just nine days before the start of the Championship season, and he has since been replaced by former assistant, Henrik Pedersen.

The former Southampton and German national team assistant left Hillsborough with a win percentage of 38%, having won 34 of his 89 games in charge.

A move to Bramall Lane would be extremely bold, though, with United fans making their feelings known towards the German during the first of their Steel City Derby 'double' in November 2024, and he would be the first name to have managed both clubs since Danny Wilson, who took charge of the Blades in 2011/12.

If the club were to replace Selles, many supporters would hope the next appointment would be 'spot-on', and a move for Rohl would only increase pressure and tension given his prior commitment to the club's bitter rivals.