With news breaking over the past week that Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace is set to be tempted to former club Derby County in the run-in to the end of the season, bookies have now opened the market regarding who will be his replacement at Ewood Park.
There has been a great deal of discontent surrounding the Englishman's potential departure, not least because Rovers currently occupy fifth place in the Championship table, three points inside the play-off places.Â
A recent 2-0 away win over fellow promotion-chasers West Brom showed the Lancashire faithful exactly what they will be missing if their current manager departs for Pride Park, as Eustace oversaw a Makhtar Gueye double that meant Tony Mowbray's side were put to the sword at the Hawthorns.
Multiple candidates are being lined up to take the helm at Blackburn, as many would be overjoyed to take over a side harbouring so much promotion potential with only 14 games remaining in the Championship season. At present, former interim England boss Lee Carsley is the favourite.
Current favourites
Lee Carsley – 4/6
A former Rovers player himself, recent interim manager Lee Carsley has been linked with a move back to a lot of his past clubs in the last few weeks, having also been touted as a potential candidate to take over at Pride Park.
The Englishman made 46 appearances for Blackburn at the turn of the century, scoring 10 goals, and thus it would be fitting for him to make a move to one of the five club's for which he featured during his 470 league appearances.
Carsley has never truly had a taste of full professional management, guiding England to five wins in six games as interim boss before Thomas Tuchel was given the permanent position. He had also stewarded former club Birmingham City for three games in 2017, as well as Coventry City in 2013. Carsley appears to have an affinity for briefly taking over at clubs which he has previously played for, so there could be a high chance of his first full-time role being with Blackburn.
At 4/6, bookies are rather convinced that the former Everton and Coventry midfielder will make a return to Ewood Park imminently. However, his current odds do not provide a good return for punters looking for value on their investment.
Gary O'Neil – 6/1
Recently dismissed Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has also emerged as a candidate to take over from John Eustace. Although it has not worked out in the Premier League for the Englishman, a step down to the Championship could be exactly what is needed to revive his waning managerial career.
O'Neil initially took charge of Bournemouth in 2022, his first permanent role in football management, but it did not work out at all. After a successful spell as caretaker boss, he subsequently managed just seven wins from 25 matches, averaging just 0.92 points per game. He was sacked just seven months into the role before moving to Molineux in August of the same year.
Again, things started brightly for the former West Ham player, but turned sour quickly. His poor game management resulted in Wolves winning just one of their first 12 Premier League matches in 2024/25, and he was sacked after a 2-1 home defeat to relegation rivals Ipswich put the club in real danger of going down.
Now looking to revive his prospects at the head of a club chasing promotion to the big time, O'Neil is priced at 6/1 to make a name for himself at Ewood Park.
Rob Edwards – 6/1
Another recently sacked manager, former Luton Town boss Rob Edwards is level-pegging with O'Neil to make the switch to rainy Lancashire. Edwards' longest spell in management has been with the Hatters, with whom he presided over 103 fixtures, miraculously leading them to the Premier League in 2023.
However, it has been a genuinely disastrous return to the Championship for Luton, who currently sit rock-bottom of the second tier with only 14 games to play. With a double relegation firmly on the cards, Edwards was sacked in January, having actually managed only 33 wins from more than a century of matches.
Although it would be an ideal place for the Englishman to get his career back on track, it would be a huge gamble for the Rovers hierarchy given his recent catastrophic spell. 6/1 are decent odds for punters, but it seems an unlikely appointment given the club's lofty ambitions.
Lifelong Ipswich Town supporter who recently graduated from Durham University in French and German. Have developed a passion for European football based on my links abroad and am an avid supporter of Werder Bremen and Auxerre. Joined the MFT team in October 2024 and looking to take my first steps into the world of football journalism.
