Blackburn Rovers have confirmed they have appointed Valerien Isamael as their new head coach.
The 49-year-old has penned a long-term contract that will keep him at Ewood Park until June 2028.
John Eustace left the club earlier this month to take over relegation-threatened Derby County. Ismael has now been appointed as his successor at Blackburn.
He is set to be in the dugout for the first time when the Lancashire outfit take on Norwich City on Saturday.
In a statement on the club’s website, Steve Waggott said: “We were hugely impressed with Valérien throughout what was a rigorous recruitment process.
“He knows the Championship extremely well and what it takes to finish in the play-offs.
“He has played and managed in some of the biggest environments across Europe, and has all the credentials to have a successful spell with us over the coming years.
“We must also say a big thank you to David Lowe, Damien Johnson and Ben Benson for all their support during the interim period and they will form part of Valérien’s backroom staff going forward.”
Ismael boasts plenty of experience in management and Sports View believe he would be a brilliant appointment. He led Barnsley to the Championship play-offs in 2020-21, but the Tykes ultimately missed out on the final after a narrow defeat to Swansea City.
He left to join West Bromwich Albion the following summer but was dismissed from his position in February.
Ismael then headed to Turkey to manage Besiktas before coming back to take over Watford, where he lasted 10 months in the job.
Blackburn are currently sitting sixth in the Championship standings, with 51 points from 34 matches.
Following the departure of Eustace, David Lowe was appointed as caretaker manager and he led them to victories in his opening two matches. But the Rovers lost 3-0 to Swansea at the weekend.
It was a comfortable victory for the Swans who earned their first home win of 2025 after goals from Zan Vipotnik, Myles Peart-Harris and Liam Cullen.
Ismael has already worked with three players of the Rovers’ squad. Callum Brittain and Cauley Woodrow were part of his Barnsley team, while he also knows Emmanuel Dennis from his time at Watford.
Ismael will look to solidify their position in the top six and push for promotion to the Premier League.
