Blackburn Rovers: John Eustace update issued as Derby County manager saga continues | OneFootball

The Rovers boss is the Rams' number one target after Paul Warne was sacked on Friday afternoon.

John Eustace will take charge of Blackburn Rovers' training session today before meeting with the club's hierarchy to discuss his future at the club, and his wish to complete a move to Derby County.

That's according to The Lancashire Telegraph, who have revealed that the 45-year-old is keen to rejoin the club he finished his playing career at as their new manager.

This comes just days after Paul Warne was sacked by the Rams after they embarked on a seven-game losing run in the Championship, while they were also dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round by League One side Leyton Orient on penalties.

Blackburn and Derby are both in action in mid-week in the second tier, with Eustace's current side travelling to West Bromwich Albion for a clash between fifth and sixth, while the East Midlands outfit welcome Oxford United to Pride Park.

Eustace expected to tell Blackburn Rovers of his desire to join Derby

The Rams made a formal approach for the Rovers manager on Sunday during their FA Cup defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Premier League.

They have paid the compensation package of around £500k, and now Eustace will tell the Blackburn board that he wants to fill the vacancy at Derby.

The former Birmingham City manager explained following the loss to Wolves that he will hold a meeting with those in charge at the club, but Steve Waggott and Suhail Pasha will be told about where he sees his future.

The Lancashire Telegraph have also reported that if Eustace does make his way to the Rams, then Matt Gardiner and Keith Downing will most probably depart with him and Damien Johnson and David Lowe will be likely pairing to take charge of Rovers' clash with West Brom on Wednesday.

Eustace's potential departure should be a wake-up call for Blackburn's board

Although no decision has been officially made about the 45-year-old's future, it does look as though Eustace will make his way to Pride Park in the coming days, despite Derby currently being involved in a relegation battle.

Blackburn, meanwhile, have made an incredible rise from securing their Championship status for another year on the final day of last season to becoming genuine contenders for the play-offs.

The manager has played a huge role in that, and this is not the first club that he has helped put into a position that many would be surprised to see them in. He was able to push Birmingham into a fight for the top six before he was sacked in October 2023, before Blues eventually suffered relegation following a short stint with Wayne Rooney as the head coach.

Sunday was Eustace's one-year anniversary at Ewood Park, and the journey that he has helped the club go on since then has been extraordinary. But there have been many questions in the past from those on the outside about Rovers' ownership, and moving to a club who are incredibly secure at the top in Derby is appealing.

There is also a desire for the former Rams midfielder to move closer to his family, and with Pride Park around an hour away from his hometown of Solihull, they could be the perfect club for him.