What David Challinor has said about his immediate future as Blackburn Rovers plot move | OneFootball

Dave Challinor, who has left Stockport County, has discussed his future amid links to Blackburn Rovers.

Blackburn are on the lookout for a new manager as they prepare for the 2026/27 Championship season.

The previous campaign was a tough one for Rovers, who had to call on Michael O’Neill to lead the club to survival during the run-in, with the Northern Ireland chief doing a fine job in the final months of the season.

Therefore, there was an expectation that he would stick around at Ewood Park, but O’Neill has opted to remain in his national team job, which has left Blackburn searching for a boss ahead of pre-season.

Dave Challinor discusses his future after Stockport exit amid Blackburn talk

A host of names have been linked with the vacancy since, with recent reports stating that Dave Challinor is emerging as a frontrunner.

The 50-year-old has done a fine job with Stockport over the years, as well as impressing with Fylde earlier in his career.

However, Stockport suffered a play-off final defeat to Bolton at Wembley last month, which resulted in speculation about the future of Challinor, and it has now been confirmed that he has left the club by mutual consent. Obviously, the timing has prompted many to presume he will take over at Blackburn.

But, when discussing his future with journalist Elliott Jackson, it’s fair to say Challinor didn’t give too much away, although he did make it clear he is looking forward to a new challenge in the future.

“Personally, I’m going to enjoy some time away, spend plenty of time in the sun, watch the boys graduate in July, take some time to reflect, learn and develop. Looking ahead, I’m really excited about what comes next when the right opportunity arises.”

Blackburn need to make a quick decision as they gear up for crucial summer

There are different ways to interpret Challinor’s comments here. Some would say, if Blackburn is the right ‘opportunity’, he could get back into the game very quickly.

Equally so, the way he spoke didn’t suggest that anything was imminent, so it’s still one to watch, and Rovers fans will be getting frustrated at the way this process has played out.

Keeping O’Neill was a no-brainer for the club given the excellent work he had done, but that didn’t happen, and they’ve been slow in reacting since.

Clearly, whoever does take over is going to have a huge task at hand, as Rovers don’t operate on the biggest budget, and the squad needs strengthening ahead of the new season if they want to avoid another relegation battle.

On paper, even though Challinor hasn’t managed in the Championship, he would appear to be a shrewd appointment. He has worked his way up from non-league, and whilst Stockport didn’t make that step to the second tier, he did win promotion from League Two, and he did a great job on the whole.

As well as that, Stockport were a front-foot, attacking team that played with pace and intensity, so it’s the sort of football that the fans would like to see.

There are risks to this appointment, as Challinor is unproven, but he has done enough to get a chance in the Championship if Blackburn do make an approach.

Now, the hierarchy at Blackburn need to make a decision, and it will be interesting to see who gets the job, and then work can begin on trying to build a competitive squad.