If the worst happens to Ipswich Town or Coventry City - this ex-Sheffield Wednesday man can be the answer | OneFootball

Danny Rohl could be viewed as a shrewd replacement for Frank Lampard or Kieran McKenna amid West Ham links

As the 2025/26 heads into Autumn, a handful of managers across English football have, or are under pressure when it comes to facing the sack.

Ruben Selles became the first managerial casualty of the Championship season as the Spaniard lost all six of his league and EFL Cup games in charge of Sheffield United, with the straw that broke the camel's back - in his case - a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

The Tractor Boys finally got their season off and running with a stunning display against the Blades, before their momentum was ground to a halt with the abandonment of their lengthy trip to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, a game they were losing 1-0 at the time.

Regardless, Kieran McKenna's stock very much remains high on the managerial circuit at present. The same can certainly be said for Frank Lampard despite the fact that Coventry City's season has been a mixed bag of results thus far, as they have failed to win their three recent encounters off the back of a 7-1 demolition of Queens Park Rangers at the CBS Arena on August 23rd.

As a result, supporters in Suffolk and the West Midlands may be feeling slightly nervous due to continuous links involving the potential upcoming vacancy at West Ham. However, waiting in the wings should be another highly-rated manager with recent Championship experience.

Kieran McKenna and Frank Lampard both linked with West Ham job amid Graham Potter sack calls

It has been the worst possible start to the Premier League season for the East London side, who have only regressed following their below-par 14th-place finish last season.

Graham Potter took over from Julen Lopetegui at the London Stadium in the second week of January, yet the former Swansea City, Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea boss is still to convince many that he is the man to take the club back to their previous standpoint.

The 50-year-old has won just six of his 25 matches in charge, which equates to a win percentage of just 24% and 0.9 points-per-game following Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace which followed several fan protests outside the stadium before kick-off.

With the Hammers losing five of their opening six matches across all competitions, speculation regarding Potter's immediate future has been rife in recent times, with Lampard, somewhat interestingly, being one of the initial names suggested as a replacement, some 24 years after he controversially left West Ham for Chelsea as a player.

It was then claimed that McKenna was invited into the London Stadium boardroom by David Sullivan for the Irons' recent 3-0 defeat to his former club, Tottenham Hotspur, which has certainly generated plenty of discourse given his previous links to top-flight jobs.

For an array of reasons, it remains to be seen whether Lampard or McKenna end up succeeding Potter. But, if such circumstances were to unfold, there is one man who should be at the very top of Doug King or Mark Ashton's shortlist of replacements.

Danny Rohl would be an ideal replacement for Frank Lampard or Kieran McKenna amid West Ham links

That is in reference to ex-Sheffield Wednesday manager, Danny Rohl, who earned plenty of plaudits during his year-and-a-half at Hillsborough amid extremely challenging circumstances.

The former Southampton and German national team coach took over a winless Owls side in October 2023, with a run of 15 wins across his first 35 games, eventually seeing the South Yorkshire side to safety on the final day of the season.

Last season, Rohl had the Owls briefly on the periphery of the play-off places despite the initial aim of consolidation amid a continued backdrop of supporter discontent towards owner, Dejphon Chansiri.

That eventually made its way into Rohl's mind towards the end of the campaign, as a spell of unpaid wages for Wednesday's players and staff began whilst their top six hopes faded into the abyss, before the club were placed into a transfer embargo and transfer fee restriction.

Given his reputation as one of Europe's most highly-rated young coaches, the 36-year-old was linked with several second-tier and top-flight vacancies, before he eventually resigned in S6 nine days before the start of this season.

With a win percentage of 38% having emerged victorious in 34 of 89 matches, it begs the question as to what Rohl is capable of at a stable, upwardly mobile club, which Coventry and Ipswich are two examples of.

Both clubs have several high-quality and technically-gifted players among their ranks too, which plays straight into Rohl's hands when looking at how he developed the likes of Shea Charles and Josh Windass at Hillsborough, meaning it is a no-brainer for City or Town to consider his services should Lampard or McKenna head elsewhere.