Blackburn Rovers: John Eustace in the frame for Wolves vacancy after Gary O'Neil exit | OneFootball

John Eustace is seemingly in contention to land the job at Wolves, who have just sacked Gary O'Neil

Blackburn Rovers manager John Eustace appears to be in contention to assume Wolves' managerial vacancy, which has opened up following the sacking of Gary O'Neil on Sunday morning.

That's according to a recent update from GiveMeSport's Ben Jacobs, as well as from talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, who have both reported via their X accounts that Eustace is in the frame at Wolves after O'Neil's dismissal.

A potential departure from Ewood Park for Eustace would no doubt be a huge blow as far as Blackburn are concerned.

They're currently in the running for promotion and have won their last six straight league matches, while Wolves took the decision to sack O'Neil after being left four points off safety and one place above the bottom spot in the wake of Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich Town.

Wolves are seemingly keen to replace O'Neil as soon as possible, and it'll be interesting to see just what this means in the coming days for Eustace and Blackburn - although it now appears that Al-Shabab boss Vitor Pereira is the front-runner, with Wolves seeking a deal with the Portuguese coach, as per David Ornstein of The Athletic.

Wolves' interest in Blackburn Rovers' John Eustace following Gary O'Neil sacking

Not too much is known about Wolves' interest in Eustace at this moment in time, although Jacobs' aforementioned update describes the 45-year-old as being "in the frame" to replace O'Neil alongside highly-rated West Bromwich Albion boss Carlos Corberan.

Jacobs also adds that Wolves had previously "sounded out" both Graham Potter and David Moyes, although neither were willing to take the job mid-season. It's not yet known whether Eustace shares that stance, having implemented a positive project at Blackburn since taking over in February.

It's clear he's under consideration at the very least, but compensation will be required to prize him away from Ewood Park. Wolves are said to intend on hiring a new manager before next Sunday's trip to Leicester City, which is sure to prove a six-pointer in the top-flight relegation battle.

Blackburn Rovers must retain John Eustace at all costs amid Wolves interest

Blackburn will no doubt be sweating over Eustace's future, and the best way to ease such fears may be rewarding his efforts with a new contract.

The former Birmingham City manager signed a two-and-a-half year deal in February of this year but hasn't penned fresh terms since, though he's surely deserving of exactly that given just how good Blackburn have been as of late.

Against all odds, Blackburn are in the running for promotion. Despite narrowly avoiding relegation in the 2023/24 campaign and losing last season's Championship top scorer Sammie Szmodics, Blackburn have been competitive at the top end of the table this time around and are just five points off second-placed Leeds United at the time of writing.

That underlines the job which Eustace is currently doing, with Blackburn punching well above their weight. They're showing signs of sustaining this form, mind you, and they've now won their last six league games consecutively after beating Luton Town yesterday afternoon.

A mid-term departure would disrupt Blackburn's upwards progression. They've got an extremely steady pair of hands in Eustace, who they simply cannot afford to lose at this stage of the season.