Valerien Ismael Dismissed by Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers Sack Manager Valérien Ismaël

On a day when so many clubs are looking to bring personnel to their club in the last hours of the transfer window, Blackburn Rovers have swung the other way and fired head coach Valérien Ismaël, with the side sitting 22nd, three points adrift from safety.

Never far from the headlines during his stint with the Rovers, the Frenchman gained plenty of media attention for controversial opinions, including endorsing the use of VAR in the Championship, and the repeated criticism of referees, hurling allegations of favouritism at them.

📰 Valérien Ismaël has today left his position as Blackburn Rovers’ Head Coach by mutual consent.

Ismaël joined the club in February 2025, however it has been mutually agreed that he will step away from his role with immediate effect, along with Assistant Head Coach Dean… pic.twitter.com/M3CcVUCtt6

— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) February 2, 2026

Neither the use of VAR nor a friendly referee could have rectified Blackburn's poor form - they are winless in 2026 and have picked up three points just twice since early November. Winless in nine, something had to change.

For the most part, Ismaël managed to keep the scorelines of his countless defeats close but never seemed able to coach a losing scenario into a winning one.

He was clearly aware of his tenuous position just days before leaving, saying in a post-match press conference that he was “ready to take the bullet” if the club saw fit to change something at the club. He leaves the club with a 26% win ratio, the lowest of any club he has coached bar Apollon Smirnis.

Who Will Replace Valérien Ismaël?

A raft of names have already been nominated as candidates for the now-vacant Blackburn head coach position, some new, while some have become iconic characters across the English football pyramid.

Former West Ham, Watford and West Brom coach Slaven Bilic was heavily tipped for the role prior to Ismael’s sacking - he would bring a calm, collected demeanour to the dressing room, as well as a vast CV of experience in a career which has seen him coach at nine different sides.

Former Blackburn, Fulham and Chelsea winger Damien Duff is also hotly tipped to get the role despite having only three years of coaching experience with Irish giants Shamrock Rovers. The Irishman is currently the odds-on favourite to succeed Ismael at 4/1 on sportscasting.com.

There are plenty of other notable names vying for the Blackburn role – Tony Mowbray, Gary Rowett, Will Still, David Wagner and Russell Martin would all bring much-needed Championship experience to Ewood Park, while the likes of Lee Carsley and Jon Dahl Thomasson would bring some international nous to the side.

Slaven Bilic is a contender for the Blackburn Rovers job if Valérien Ismaël is replaced.🇭🇷

🤝 @alex_crook pic.twitter.com/oCwjncTa4v

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) February 2, 2026

It is unlikely that Rovers will immediately announce Ismael’s replacement and will likely take a few days, perhaps even a couple of weeks, to assess their candidates and pick the best man to take over.

They must be careful though - if they get this decision wrong, they risk leaving the top two tiers of the EFL for the first time since the 1979/80 campaign. As we have seen in recent years through the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Reading, Blackpool and most recently Luton Town, bouncing back from relegation to the third tier is no easy feat.