Ex-Doncaster Rovers boss reportedly in the frame for Championship vacancy

Wellens was boss of Rovers between May and December 2021, winning just three league games in that period. Speaking after his departure, he admitted: "I probably made a mistake in going to Doncaster if I’m being honest. I let my heart rule my head.

"There were a lot of red flags there. But it was a club that I loved and I had a great time there as a player and I had a great relationship with the fans so it was very difficult for me to turn down in terms of being a club that was definitely pulling on my heartstrings. In hindsight I shouldn’t have done it."

Safe to say Wellens has got his managerial career back on track since then. He's been boss of Leyton Orient since March 2022 and after promotion from League Two in 2022-23, they have consolidated and kicked on in the third tier. They're currently on the coat-tails of the play-offs and last weekend put on a stellar performance in the FA Cup when they ran Manchester City mightily close.

The work of Wellens hasn't gone unnoticed and reporter Alan Nixon, writing on his Patreon page, says he is among those to have caught the eye of Blackburn Rovers' bigwigs as they look for a new manager.

The Lancashire club need a new boss after "reluctantly" allowing John Eustace to move to Championship rivals Derby County.

A club statement from Blackburn said: "Football is always evolving, and while we part ways with John Eustace, this also presents an exciting opportunity for the new head coach to build on our current positive position."