Sheffield Wednesday face battle to keep Danny Rohl amid interest at home and abroad
Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl is attracting admiring glances from both Southampton and Hamburg after his impressive job since arriving at Hillsborough
Sheffield Wednesday are facing a battle to keep hold of highly-rated manager Danny Rohl.
Rohl is a name of interest to Southampton after they sacked Russell Martin following a disastrous start to their Premier League campaign after returning to the top flight last season.
But Hamburg, in Rohl's native Germany, are now also pondering a swoop for the 35-year-old whose impressive job at Hillsborough has not gone unnoticed.
Saints would like to appoint a new boss before Sunday's trip to Fulham. But they see getting the right man as imperative and are willing to wait if need be.
READ MORE: Darwin Nunez discovers finishing touch to help Liverpool into Carabao Cup semi-finalsREAD MORE: 6 candidates to become next Southampton manager as Russell Martin brutally sackedWest Brom manager Carlos Corberan and former Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand are also on their radar. Rohl worked as assistant manager to Ralph Hasenhuttl at St Mary's and is admired within the club.
Hamburg, traditionally one of Germany's juggernauts, currently sit eighth in the second tier but are just three points off the summit in a highly competitive division.
Die Rothosen have been crowned German champions six times, have three German cups to their name and have been champions of Europe as recently as the 1980s.
They play in front of crowds of over 50,000 despite their recent slump and it would present an opportunity to move back to Germany and his family for Rohl.
However, if either Southampton or Hamburg want to acquire his services, they will need to pay. Rohl penned a three-year deal at Hillsborough in the summer and Wednesday are owned by notoriously hardline Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri.
The compensation package in his contract to allow Rohl to leave the club is understood to be substantial.
Rohl was a relative unknown before taking over at Hillsborough, despite having already held some high-profile backroom jobs. He began coaching at RB Leipzig after an unremarkable playing career in the German lower leagues.
He worked under current Barcelona boss Hansi Flick at both Bayern Munich and the German national team before succeeding Xisco Munoz in South Yorkshire in October 2023.
Wednesday looked to be dead and buried after the worst start to a Championship season in history, but a remarkable turnaround in results saw them preserve their second-tier status with victory over Sunderland on the final day.
As far as things currently stand, it is business as usual. Rohl took training on Wednesday and attended the Owls' staff Christmas party in the evening.
He is set to speak to the press on Friday before Saturday's home game against Stoke in the Championship. It's the first of five games in 15 days in the traditionally jam-packed festive period.
If he were to leave, it would represent a huge blow for the Owls who sit ninth in the Championship table, five points adrift of the top six.
A mid-table finish would be seen as a step in the right direction, but Rohl is ambitious and believes a successful January transfer window could propel his side into the promotion mix.
Most Wednesday fans accept that Rohl is destined for the top and will eventually move on to bigger and better things. But he has struck up a close relationship with those on the terraces, and an exit after just over a year would be a huge disappointment.
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