Barnsley remain without a manager after seeing Michael Duff make the switch to Swansea City last month.
It comes as a huge blow for Barnsley who are once again on the look out for a new manger. But the Tykes are making a good habit of sourcing and bringing in good coaches and fans should have hope that their club will name another promising boss ahead of the 2023/24 season.
And this morning, reports in Northern Ireland have claimed that Derry City boss Ruaidhri Higgins, 38, has been in talks with Barnsley and that he’s a leading candidate for the Oakwell vacancy.
But taking to Twitter, Barnsley Chronicle’s Doug O’Kane revealed that he’s quizzed Barnsley on the matter, to which he received no comment.
Interesting reports from Northern Ireland that Derry City manager Ruaidhrí Higgins is in talks for the Barnsley job. I have asked BFC and been told no comment.
Will try to find out more.— Doug O'Kane (@dougokane88) July 5, 2023
And last night, O’Kane also address online speculation that former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder could be in contention for the Barnsley job.
The 55-year-old was set to take charge of Reading last month, but that move fell through and he remains without a club following his brief spell in charge of Watford at the end of last season.
O’Kane though says that Wilder is not in contention for the Tykes opening.
A few people have asked me about Chris Wilder to #barnsleyfc. I understand he’s not in contention for the job.
— Doug O'Kane (@dougokane88) July 4, 2023
Who next for Barnsley?
It’s really not uncommon for Barnsley to bring in an unknown manager from somewhere in Europe. And they’ve had varying degrees of success doing that, though the whole they’ve probably had more successes than failures.
Higgins is another unknown quantity but he only has playing and coaching experience in Ireland – he previously worked as an opposition analyst for the Republic of Ireland national side.
Wilder meanwhile is an inevitable link. He’s got the experience and the name to manage in the Football League and he’d arguably be a big coup for a League One side, but he’s not the kind of innovative and contemporary coach that Barnsley usually go for.
An appointment looks to be close though, with recent reports saying that the Tykes are closing in on naming their next boss.
