Blackburn Rovers manager news: Gary Rowett talks, Slaven Bilic decision, Ralph Hasenhuttl view | OneFootball

FLW rounds-up the latest managerial news at Ewood Park.

Blackburn Rovers are still on the hunt for Valerien Ismael’s successor after parting ways with the Frenchman last week.

Rovers sacked Ismael after a 1-0 defeat to Hull City which left the Lancashire outfit without a win in eight second-tier games and in desperate trouble of slipping through the League One trapdoor.

Blackburn’s decision to change manager originally looked to have been vindicated early on, with Rovers claiming a precious 1-0 victory over basement boys Sheffield Wednesday last midweek, under the caretaker charge of Damien Johnson.

But the club slipped back into the bottom three over the course of last weekend after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Norwich City at Carrow Road, with West Brom picking up a point against Stoke City to leave Rovers back in the relegation mire.

If Blackburn do decide to bring in another permanent boss this season, it could be a defining moment for the club, with the quality of the coach essential to the Lancashire outfit retaining their second-tier status.

With this in mind, FLW rounds-up the latest news surrounding Blackburn’s managerial search.

Blackburn Rovers to hold talks with Gary Rowett but sticking point raised

As per a report by journalist Alan Nixon, Blackburn Rovers are expected to hold talks with Gary Rowett over the vacant managerial position at Ewood Park.

Rowett has been out of work for just over a month after departing the Kassam Stadium towards the end of December, with Matt Bloomfield replacing the 51-year-old at the turn of 2026.

Rovers are rivalling fellow-relegation candidates Leicester City for Rowett’s signature, and are reportedly set to hold discussions with the former Millwall and Oxford United boss within the next 48 hours, in a bid to wrap up their hunt for Ismael's permanent successor as soon as possible.

Nixon also states that Rowett has emerged as Blackburn's top candidate to take the job, but there could be a sticking point in negotiations.

While one of those is that Blackburn will have to fend off Leicester’s emerging interest, another is over contract details.

Blackburn are satisfied with offering a short-term contract to Rowett, but the 51-year-old is looking for a long-term project should he return to management in a such a quick turnaround, so it will be intriguing to see whether the two parties can secure an agreement in the coming days.

According to a report by TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Slaven Bilic has told Blackburn’s hierarchy that he does not want to become their new manager in the middle of the campaign.

It is a blow for Rovers given Bilic’s success in the Championship as a manager, having led West Brom back to the Premier League during the 2019-20 campaign, while also having a six-month stint at Watford back in the 2022-23 season.

Bilic hasn’t been involved in management since August 2024 when he departed Al Fateh in the Saudi Pro League, while the Croat has been touted for a job back in England after recently being linked with replacing Nuno Espirito Santos at West Ham, before their revival in the top-flight.

Journalist Alan Nixon had originally reported that Bilic’s camp had sent mixed messages over whether he wanted to take over the vacant Blackburn post, while his constant stalling over an agreement led to him ruling himself out of the frame last weekend.

Blackburn Rovers fan pundit plays down Ralph Hasenhuttl links

Meanwhile, Football League World’s Blackburn Rovers fan pundit, Simon Middlehurst, doesn't feel Ralph Hasenhuttl would be the right fit at Ewood Park to help turn their bleak situation around.

The German hasn't been in work since May last year, when he departed Wolfsburg following an 11th-placed finish in the Bundesliga. His only prior management job in England came in a near-four-year stint as Southampton boss between 2018 and 2022.

And he has now emerged as a possible candidate amongst the bookies' lists, as Blackburn try to bring an end to their managerial search in order to give the team as big of a chance as possible to secure their second-tier status.

Simon told FLW: "Based on managerial experience, it wouldn't be a bad appointment. The only downside would be that he did have a bit of a bad record at Southampton.

"His winning record was very low compared to what it was at Leipzig, and because of that, I don't think the fans would get behind it as an appointment.

"As I keep saying, Blackburn need to get this one right to get the fans onside, as they're turning against the club and the hierarchy at the minute.

"They need to make sure that this appointment is the right one, because it'll just bring up more discontent from the fanbase.”

It would be an almighty gamble from the Blackburn hierarchy to hand the keys over to a figure who has had no prior experience of managing in the Championship, with this surely a time for a safe pair of hands to take over the club until the end of the season and ensure they remain in the division.