Blackburn Rovers announce Valerien Ismael as new Head Coach
The 49 year old takes over from John Eustace
Last updated 25th Feb 2025
Blackburn have appointed Valerien Ismael as their new head coach.
The 49-year-old former Barnsley and West Brom boss replaces John Eustace, who quit to take over at Derby a fortnight ago.
The Frenchman has signed a long-term contract with the club through to June 2028 and will be in the dugout at Ewood Park for the first time when we host Norwich City on Saturday (kick-off 12.30pm).
Ismaël arrives at Rovers with vast managerial experience, both in England and across Europe, and with an established reputation as a high-calibre coach, fuelled by his core principles of respect, discipline, commitment and hard work.
A defender in his playing days, Ismaël started out with his hometown team Strasbourg, before representing Crystal Palace, Lens, Strasbourg again, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and Hannover, winning numerous titles across a decorated 15-year career, including the league and cup double in Germany with two different clubs.
After retiring at Hannover, the former France Under-21 international moved into management with the German outfit’s second team, prior to successful spells with FC Nürnberg and VfL Wolfsburg.
Spells in Greece and Austria followed, with Apollon Smyrnis and LASK, who he guided to a first ever appearance in the Champions League play-offs, as well as the group stages of the Europa League, before Ismaël made the move to England to take charge of Barnsley in October 2020.
Just outside the relegation positions when he arrived, he led the Tykes to the Championship play-offs in his first season, with current Rovers duo Callum Brittain and Cauley Woodrow playing key roles in Barnsley’s success.
The 49-year-old has gained further Championship experience with West Bromwich Albion and Watford, along with a spell at Turkish top-flight club BeÅŸiktaÅŸ, and now arrives at Ewood Park as the first French head coach in our history.
Rovers' chief executive Steve Waggott told the club website: "I am delighted to welcome Valerien to the club.
"We were hugely impressed with Valerien throughout what was a rigorous recruitment process.
"He knows the Championship extremely well and what it takes to finish in the play-offs." Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.