New update emerges on Barnsley FC's search for a new manager | OneFootball

Barnsley's chairman Neerav Parekh has spoken on the vacant head coach position at Oakwell

Barnsley chairman Neerav Parekh believes that his club is "an attractive place" for head coaches after he revealed that there has been plenty of interest in the current vacant head coach position at Oakwell.

The position of manager at Barnsley won't be open until the end of the season, however, after the club announced that Conor Hourihane would be taking charge of the remaining games of the season when they sacked Darrell Clarke on March 12.

Parekh stated that he was committed to bringing in the right man come the end of the season, but didn't rule out the possibility of making the 34-year-old Irishman's temporary spell in the dugout a permanent one if he impresses during the final nine games of the League One season.

Barnsley chairman positive in search for new manager

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post and other media on Friday lunchtime, Barnsley chairman Neerav Parekh stated that interest in the managerial position at Oakwell is even higher than that of last year, when the Tykes had just come off the back of a play-off finish.

"We have had a lot of outbound interest, to be honest," Parekh said. "Some championship managers to League One managers and a lot of people want the job - in fact more than last summer."

With Barnsley staring down the barrel of a potential lowest league finish since the 2014/15 season, coming in and putting the Tykes on the right path immediately is a must, and prospective managers seem up for taking on the challenge.

"I think Barnsley is an attractive place for head coaches to come and prove how good they are," Parekh continued. "That said, we made the clear decision that the best options would be available in the summer.

"We have talked to a number of coaches, one of whom is getting paid by his ex-club until the summer and another who has personal reasons why he cannot decide until the summer.

"There is plenty of work going on in the background and we are fairly confident we will get a good coach in."

Neerav Parekh also stated that he will "prioritise a coach with a certain type of philosophy" as he searches for a play style which will "get the crowd off their feet."

He didn't rule out the option of making Conor Hourihane's interim status a permanent one if he were to impress over the remaining nine games of the season.

"It would be unfair to say Conor is a frontrunner or anything like that because we want to get the best possible candidate. But it will be open to everyone and a wide spectrum of coaches and Conor will absolutely be one of them."

Barnsley head into the March international break nine points off the top six. With only nine games left of the season, Hourihane, who achieved League One promotion with Barnsley in 2015/16, has a big chance to put himself right in the eyeline of the board if he can conjure up an outside play-off push with a solid end to the current season.