Bristol City weighing up move to appoint ex-Barnsley boss as Liam Manning replacement | OneFootball

The Robins aren't that much closer to landing Liam Manning's successor, but a new name is being eyed up

Austrian coach Gerhard Struber is on Bristol City's radar as they search for Liam Manning's successor in the Ashton Gate dugout.

The Robins lost Manning to Championship rivals Norwich City earlier this month, with the 39-year-old departing his job after guiding the club into the second tier play-offs last season.

Precious little has come out in the form of speculation surrounding the new vacancy at Bristol City, with only ex-Luton Town manager Rob Edwards being named as a candidate, and he would be keen on landing the job if offered it.

Gerhard Struber on Bristol City radar to become new manager

The Bristol City hierarchy are considering other options though, and as per a report from the Bristol Post, former Barnsley manager Struber is one of the candidates on the radar of Steve and Jon Lansdown.

The 48-year-old spent nearly a year with the Tykes after Daniel Stendel was sacked in 2019, and he was able to keep the Yorkshire outfit in the Championship for another year as they survived relegation.

Struber departed for New York Red Bulls in October 2020, but he put the motions in place for Barnsley's rise into the Championship play-offs in the 2020-21 season, in what has been his only experience of English football management.

Since leaving Barnsley for New York five years ago, Struber has also managed RB Salzburg and Koln - the latter who sacked him last month despite being second in the 2. Bundesliga table in Germany with two games remaining, albeit they did end up winning the title after his exit.

Bristol City would be entering relatively new ground if Gerhard Struber is appointed

Unlike other clubs within the EFL who have broadened their horizons over the years, Bristol City have stuck mainly to one thing - British and Irish managers.

The only individual to break the mould was the arrival of Benny Lennartsson in 1998, but after his exit following relegation in 1999, the Robins went back to their domestic appointments, and under the Lansdown's since Steve becoming Chairman in 2002, it has been strictly from the British Isles.

Struber though would bring plenty of positives to the job if appointed, with Championship experience already, as well as working in multiple countries to give him knowledge of different pools of players for potential signings - not to mention he has a solid enough career win percentage at 44.4 per cent.