Blackburn Rovers handed big Slaven Bilic boost | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers are facing competition for managerial target Slaven Bilic, but they have been given some good news in their pursuit of the Croatian.

Blackburn Rovers are continuing their hunt for a new manager following the departure of Michael O'Neill.

O'Neill took over at Ewood Park in February after signing a short-term contract with Blackburn that saw him combine the role with his duties as Northern Ireland manager, and he successfully kept the club in the Championship.

After leading Rovers to safety, O'Neill was offered a three-year contract to remain in charge of the Lancashire outfit, but despite holding talks with the hierarchy over potential additions to his coaching staff, it was announced last week that the 56-year-old had decided to leave the club and focus solely on his international job.

Plymouth Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley and former Southampton and Rangers boss Russell Martin were two of the early names linked with Blackburn after O'Neill's exit, but the latter is believed to be keen to manage abroad, while he is also reportedly on the radar of Watford and Leicester City.

With Rovers' last managerial search taking place just over three months ago, it seems they are considering one of their previous targets, ex-West Bromwich Albion and Watford manager Slaven Bilic, who was in the frame prior to O'Neill's appointment.

Blackburn Rovers given huge boost as Slaven Bilic stance revealed

Bilic has been out of work since leaving Saudi Arabian side Al-Fateh in August 2024 after just over a year in charge, while his last role in England came with Watford when he had a brief spell at Vicarage Road between September 2022 and March 2023.

The 57-year-old, who led West Brom to automatic promotion from the Championship in the 2019-20 season, was approached by Blackburn in February following the sacking of Valerien Ismael, but he turned down the chance to take over at Ewood Park, later revealing that "it wasn't the right moment to go".

However, it was reported last week that Rovers were keen to hold fresh talks with Bilic after the managerial post became vacant once again, although they are not the only club interested in the Croatian.

Blackburn face competition for Bilic from Turkish side Amedspor, who are in contact with the ex-West Ham manager as they look to appoint a high-profile name this summer after winning promotion to the top flight for the first time, and they could potentially make him a lucrative contract offer.

Despite interest from the ambitious Süper Lig new boys, journalist Alan Nixon claims that Bilic is "willing to speak" to Rovers and is "more interested in coming to England", which is a big boost to their hopes of landing him at the second attempt.

Cleverley and Martin are also on Blackburn's shortlist, and the club "may also speak to a couple of foreign coaches", but as they prepare for discussions with Bilic, it appears he may be more open to accepting the job than he was earlier in the year.

Blackburn Rovers will have fresh Slaven Bilic hope after latest update

Bilic rejected Blackburn in February as he wanted to wait until the summer before assessing his options, but it seems he is now keen on a return to English football, which opens the door to a move to Ewood Park.

Amedspor would likely be able to offer Bilic significantly higher wages than Rovers, but he will already have earned big money after two spells in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad and Al-Fateh, as well as a stint in China with Beijing Guoan, so he may now be looking to take on a more appealing football challenge.

With many of Blackburn's recent managers experiencing issues with the board, including the likes of Tony Mowbray, Jon Dahl Tomasson and John Eustace, Bilic may have some reservations about taking over in Lancashire, but his Championship track record suggests he could be a strong appointment.