4 managers Bristol City must consider ASAP as Liam Manning closes in on Norwich City - Austrian coach features | OneFootball

The Robins look set to be on the hunt for a new manager, with Norwich looking likely to bring Manning back to his home city

Bristol City look set for an unexpected manager saga this summer, with Liam Manning closing in on a move to Norwich City to become their new head coach.

The Robins were swept aside by Sheffield United in the Championship play-off semi-finals, but it was an achievement in itself that Manning was able to guide them into the top six - it appears though that the 3-0 loss at Bramall Lane was the 39-year-old's last in charge of City.

Reports emerged on Sunday evening from the BBC and The Telegraph that Norwich were closing in on bringing Manning back to his home city, having also started his youth footballing career with the Canaries, and that talks are expected to progress later this week in what will be an £800,000 compensation deal.

Sooner rather than later, Bristol City will need to start looking at successors to Manning, so here are FOUR names that should almost certainly be considered by Steve and Jon Lansdown to replace him in the Ashton Gate dugout.

Marti Cifuentes

There's plenty of Championship-proven options on the market this coming summer, but one that still technically has a club that may be a good fit is QPR's Marti Cifuentes.

Currently on gardening leave with the R's after it emerged late on in the 2024-25 season his representatives had discussed the West Brom vacancy, as well as a report claiming his relationship with club CEO Christian Nourry had broken down, Cifuentes is looking for a new challenge - and he could get that at the other end of the M4.

The Spaniard saved the R's from relegation in 2023-24 after arriving to clean up the mess that Gareth Ainsworth had left behind, and whilst they were streaky in 2024-25 and only finished 15th in the table, Cifuentes has proven to be flexible tactically and is pretty progressive in his coaching and methods.

With City finishing 11 places higher than the Hoops in 2024-25, Cifuentes will surely be attracted to the job, so he needs to be on the shortlist.

Richie Wellens

Wellens will currently be suffering following Leyton Orient's League One play-off final loss to Charlton Athletic on Sunday, but there's no doubting the progression of the east London outfit since he arrived in March 2022.

Sitting 20th in League Two when he joined the club, Wellens has taken the O's from that position to the brink of Championship promotion in three years, which is testament to his management skills, especially as after underwhelming stints prior at Salford City and Doncaster Rovers saw his reputation somewhat diminished.

Concerns have already set in for the 45-year-old Mancunian though, revealing the likelihood of losing 'six or seven' of his first-team squad from the season just gone ahead of 2025-26, and that could lead to him considering a move higher up the EFL pyramid should the opportunity arise.

Bristol City would be the highest profile job in his career should he be approached, but given what's happened in the last few years, you'd back Wellens to make the step up.

Gerhard Struber

Like many Championship clubs have done in recent times, Bristol City could go down the foreign route, although the only non-British or Irish manager they've ever appointed was Swedishman Benny Lennartsson in 1998, and that only lasted less than a season.

In Gerhard Struber though, there is a coach there who has not only got Championship experience, but also has a decent reputation and some pedigree behind himself.

The Austrian arrived at Barnsley in 2019 to replace Daniel Stendel, with the Tykes bottom of the second tier at the time, and whilst they were helped with a Wigan Athletic points deduction, Struber did indeed get the South Yorkshire side out of danger and secured their safety.

In a twist though, New York Red Bulls swooped for Struber in October 2020, less than a year after accepting the Barnsley job, and after three years in the USA, he landed the Red Bull Salzburg job in Austria.

Struber's most recent job was with German second tier side FC Koln, and he was perhaps harshly sacked earlier this month with his team sitting second in the 2. Bundesliga with two matches to play - although did go on to win the title in the end.

His reputation should not be damaged though from that decision from the powers-that-be at Koln, and he could be a really good fit for the Bristol City job.

Kim Hellberg

The aforementioned Cifuentes at QPR arrived from Swedish club Hammarby in 2023, and the man who replaced him there - Kim Hellberg - should also be considered.

Hellberg took Swedish minnows Varnamo from strength to strength in their first two seasons in the Allsvensvan, first finishing in 10th place in 2022 and 20 points clear of the relegation zone, and then he took them to fifth in the standings for 2023.

For the 2024 season, Hellberg moved on to a bigger club in the form of Hammarby, and although they finished 2nd to Malmo by 11 points, the young head coach was still able to secure UEFA Conference League football for his club - but will he be around to see it?

The 37-year-old is no stranger to being linked to clubs within the EFL - he was interviewed for the Sunderland vacancy in December 2023 before it was handed to Michael Beale, whilst Swansea City were keen on him recently before they opted for Alan Sheehan - but only after Hammarby blocked any attempt from the Welsh outfit to hire Hellberg.

That would suggest the Lansdowns would have a tough time to get Hellberg over to England themselves, but he would be an outstanding candidate if considered.