Mat Sadler fear raised as Rotherham United close in on appointment | OneFootball

Mat Sadler is set to be appointed as Rotherham United boss

Rotherham United are set to end the long wait for their next managerial appointment by hiring former Walsall boss Mat Sadler.

The Millers finished 23rd in League One last season, suffering their second relegation in just three campaigns, and need to oversee a big rebuild this summer.

Rotherham released 11 players last month, including Jordan Hugill and Reece James, who were among the squad members who underperformed last term.

The South Yorkshire outfit will likely have to part company with some of their biggest assets, such as last season's top scorer Sam Nombe, who won't want to play in League Two.

Rotherham United told why Mat Sadler appointment is uninspiring

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Rotherham have spent two of the last four seasons in the Championship, but the second tier is now a long way from a club who have been relegated to League Two.

Meanwhile, as reported by Football Insider, the Millers are set to appoint former Walsall boss Sadler after talks with Ian Burchnall broke down.

Football League World asked our Rotherham fan pundit, Tom Eyre, if he was happy with Sadler as a managerial choice, after he was previously being highly touted in the 2024/25 season, but ended up faltering with his last club.

Eyre told FLW: "I don't think that any signing Rotherham are going to make, managerial-wise, is going to be anyone to bring excitement back into the group.

"That's nothing against Mat Sadler, but both himself and Ian Burchnall have different styles of play. For all intents and purposes, Sadler sounds like a reincarnation of Matt Hamshaw.

"Super one directional, plays with a five at the back, defensive, looking to catch teams on the counter. It's not something that Rotherham fans enjoy seeing, as evidenced by what happened with Matt Hamshaw.

"I think at this point, Rotherham are so deep in the mud with not appointing a manager that whoever they can get their hands on is who they're going to have to settle for.

"In this case, it's going to be Mat Sadler after missing out on priority number one, which was Burchnall. I'm indifferent about the appointment, but hopefully he proves why he was being highly touted, and hopefully has learned from mistakes that he made."

Mat Sadler appointment could go either way for Rotherham

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Rotherham ultimately want their next manager to help them return to League Two following a woeful League One season, which saw them win just 10 games in 46 third-tier attempts.

Meanwhile, Sadler did a great job for Walsall in the 2024/25 campaign, guiding them to the fourth-tier play-offs for the first time since they were relegated to League Two in 2019.

However, the 41-year-old was sacked by the Saddlers in March, following a poor run of just one win in 11 league games, which heavily dented their play-off chances.

Walsall ultimately finished 13th in League Two last term, 13 points adrift of the top seven, largely because Sadler let their standards drop.

If Sadler can repeat his 2024/25 exploits for Rotherham, then the Millers could seal a League One return at the first time of asking, ending their downward trajectory.

However, Walsall's more recent performances raise doubts over whether he can produce quality football in South Yorkshire.