"I'll wait" - Ian Evatt claim issued amid links to Cardiff City manager vacancy | OneFootball

FLW recently broke that he was on the Bluebirds' shortlist

Ian Evatt has stated that he is "ready to go" back into management after his first break from football in his entire career, amid recent links to Cardiff City.

The 43-year-old has been out of a job since January, after he was sacked by Bolton Wanderers following a near five-year stint at the Toughsheet Stadium.

Evatt made an immediate transition into management from his 20-year professional playing career, retiring a year into his two-year spell as Barrow manager in 2019, meaning that the last four months have been football-free, something which is almost alien to the former Blackpool centre-back.

However, speaking to the Blackpool Gazette following the recent Legends' game at Bloomfield Road, the 43-year-old believes that, whilst the break was "helpful," he is ready to get back in the dugout sooner rather than later.

And, with FLW exclusively revealing that he is one of the managerial candidates for the Cardiff City job ahead of the Bluebirds' first season in League One in 22 years, perhaps a return to management may happen in the coming weeks.

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Speaking to the Blackpool Gazette, Evatt admits that he "was ready for a rest" and that a break has been beneficial, but he's now ready to come back into work, and has even turned down job offers recently that didn't fit what he wanted.

The 43-year-old took a break from football for the first time in 27 years this January when he left Bolton, having made a smooth transition from playing full-time to being a full-time manager.

"I've had some offers that I turned down, and didn't feel were quite right for me at that moment, but there are things happening all of the time," Evatt revealed.

"I'll wait and be patient, and try and pick the right one.

"When you're in the game, it's 24 hours a day, and it's hard to gain perspective on what you've achieved, and also to grow and improve, and spend time thinking about what went well and what didn't go so well [...] the last few months have been helpful for me and I'm ready to go again."

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You'd expect Ian Evatt to be a manager in demand this coming summer, given his track record throughout his seven years as a manager.

He earned promotion to League One with Bolton in his first season at the club and, despite falling short of a second promotion during his time there, had the Trotters in the league's top 10 in each of his three full seasons in the third-tier, with back-to-back play-off campaigns in 2023 and 2024.

Perhaps he could be taking up the manager's position at the Cardiff City Stadium this summer?

Football League World revealed that he and Des Buckingham, the man who led Oxford United to victory over Evatt's Bolton in last season's play-off final, are two of the candidates set to be interviewed this week.

Cardiff will be looking to make a swift return to the Championship in their first season in League One since 2002/03 after finishing as the basement club in the second tier this past term.

And with patchy form towards the end of his tenure as Bolton boss souring his reputation slightly, bringing the Bluebirds back to the Championship would be key in marking himself down as a top League One-level manager yet again.