Significant twist emerges in Barnsley managerial search | OneFootball

Barnsley may well be forced into a rethink over their plans to appoint Alexander Blessin as their new manager, as per a recent report by TEAMtalk.

The club’s owners had been seemingly set to hand the 48-year-old German the job of succeeding Valerien Ismael at Oakwell, however it now appears that those plans could be scuppered.

It is said that work permit regulations could cause issues over his potential arrival in the UK and as a result the club could switch their attentions to other targets.

Currently the manager of KV Oostende, Blessin is said to have caught the attention of the Sky Bet Championship side after Sheffield United showed interest in the former RB Leipzig man.

The report goes on to state that the Blades found that it would have been tough to get a deal over the line, as the manager would not gain a work permit to operate in England without an appeal going in first.

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Barnsley’s owners of course also own Oostende, however it remains to be seen if they can alleviate the current issues to get this deal done.

The Verdict

This will come as a slight blow for the Tykes but I am sure that they have a good few irons in the fire that they can turn to as alternatives to Blessin moving forwards.

The German doesn’t have a lot of experience at a senior level, which is also something which may come into the club’s thinking.

Work permit appeal processes can take time and it is for that reason that the Championship side may want to put any move for the 48-year-old on the back burner for the time being.

With this major hurdle standing in their way, I can see Barnsley switching their attentions to other targets as they will no doubt be eager to get someone through the door as soon as possible.