Sheffield Wednesday are searching for a replacement for Xisco Munoz as manager, and a new name has been thrown into the hat, courtesy of journalist Ricky Charlesworth.
Latest Sheff Wed manager news; Jones, Warnock
The Owls have made a disastrous start to the season in the Championship, having earned promotion from League One in such thrilling fashion last time around.
On Tuesday night, Wednesday were beaten 1-0 away to West Brom, and while it was far from an embarrassing result, it was still another defeat that left them further adrift at the bottom of the table. They have picked up just two points from their opening 10 league matches in 2023/24 to date, also scoring only five times.
That loss at the Hawthorns proved to be the final straw with Xisco, with those high up at Hillsborough, including owner Dejphon Chansiri, relieving him of his duties on Wednesday evening, despite only replacing Darren Moore as manager during the summer.
The search is now on to find a perfect replacement for the Spaniard, and a number of names have already emerged as potential options, including Nathan Jones and Neil Warnock. Now, a new face appears to have entered the picture, following a fresh Sheffield Wednesday manager update.
New Sheff Wed manager target
Taking to X, Sheff Wed reporter for The Examiner Charlesworth claimed that Oscar Garcia is seen as a “prominent” option to come in and fill the void left by Xisco in the Hillsborough hot seat:
“Understand Oscar Garcia is a prominent name on Wednesday’s shortlist. Ex-Brighton and Watford boss. Managed all over Europe, last post was Reims in France.”
It is encouraging to see the Owls looking at so many options already, with their next appointment such a crucial one, in terms of steering them away from the threat of relegation back to League One, which would be an almighty blow after only one year away.
In Garcia, Wednesday would be bringing in a manager with plenty of experience at a high level, having spent time in England before, as Charlesworth alludes to. He prefers a 3-4-1-2 formation, suggesting he is a modern coach with fresh ideas, using wing-backs effectively, which the likes of Liam Palmer and Marvin Johnson have been used to already under previous managers.
The 50-year-old is also a three-time league champion, which is nothing to be sniffed at, having won two Austrian Bundesliga titles with RB Salzburg in 2015/16 and 2016/17 – he won the Austrian Cup in both of those seasons, too – and one Israeli crown with Maccabi Tel Aviv back in 2012/13. He has also been hailed as “superb” by French media in recent times, following his spell at Reims.
There may be some Wednesday fans who are concerned that Garcia could be a little too similar to Xisco, in terms of background and style – the fact that he has also managed Watford plays into that narrative – but if the club see him as the best option, a move could be one to keep an eye on. In truth, things could have been so much simpler if Moore had stayed put beyond the summer, so yu could argue that owner Chansiri arguably has a lot to answer for, in that respect.
