Pundit Lee Hendrie believes Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl will make the move to a Bundesliga club this summer.
After keeping the club in the Championship last term, Rohl guided Wednesday to a 12th-place finish this season, but the second half of the campaign was overshadowed by a bitter public dispute between the German and owner Dejphon Chansiri after he was denied a move to Southampton in December.
Speculation over Rohl’s future has continued to gather pace in recent weeks, and the 36-year-old angered Owls supporters earlier this month when he gave an interview in which he openly discussed his possible next move, with many feeling that such comments were inappropriate while still under contract at Hillsborough.
Rohl had again been strongly linked with Southampton, but the Saints instead appointed Will Still as their new manager on Sunday, and he could also be set to miss out on the Leicester City job, with Russell Martin expected to take over from Ruud van Nistelrooy at the King Power Stadium.
Premier League duo Fulham and Crystal Palace were also said to be among Rohl’s suitors, but it does not seem as though a vacancy will open up at either of those two clubs this summer, and while he was reportedly on the radar of RB Leipzig, no discussions have taken place with the German giants.
According to journalist Rob Staton, Rohl recently held “positive talks” with Werder Bremen, who had a “legitimate interest” in the Wednesday manager, but his “excessive and prohibitive” release clause, which is believed to be as high as £5 million, proved to be a stumbling block for the Bundesliga outfit.
| Danny Rohl’s record as Sheffield Wednesday manager (as per Transfermarkt) | |
| Games | 89 |
| Won | 34 |
| Drawn | 19 |
| Lost | 36 |
| Win percentage | 38.2% |
Lee Hendrie makes claim on Danny Rohl’s Sheffield Wednesday future
Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Hendrie insisted that Rohl could be the man to take Wednesday forward, but he does not believe he will get the necessary backing from Chansiri, and he predicted that he could make the move to the Bundesliga this summer, rather than to the Premier League or another Championship club.
“Where will Danny Rohl end up? He has been heavily linked with a lot of football clubs because he’s done so well,” Hendrie said.
“His personality and his personnel have been a big hit at Sheffield Wednesday, and I think they are a massive football club where, if given the resources, he could take them further.
“However, I think he will end up leaving the football club, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he went to Germany.
“I know he’s been linked with a few teams in the Bundesliga.
“It would be a shame because I think if he was given the clout to take Sheffield Wednesday forward, he could be the man to do so.
“But that is the problem, because if you’re standing still and you’re not going to get that, your head is going to get turned; there’s no doubt about that.
“That’s why Danny Rohl is being talked about because of how good he’s been and what he’s done at the football club.
“I don’t think he will get a Premier League job this summer; I think he will have to wait for that.
“He may need to go to a top-end Championship club; even Norwich would be a better fit if they gave him the license to bring players in.
“But I think he will end up going to the Bundesliga.”
Danny Rohl may feel some Sheffield Wednesday regret after Werder Bremen blow
With the Southampton job gone, a move to RB Leipzig or Leicester off the cards, and Werder Bremen now out of the race, Rohl appears to be running out of options if he is to leave Wednesday this summer.
There are three other Bundesliga sides still without managers – Augsburg, Cologne, and Wolfsburg -and the latter have been credited with an interest in Rohl, while there are vacancies at Hannover 96 and Schalke in the German second division, so a move back to his homeland could still be a possibility for the ex-Bayern Munich coach.
However, German clubs do seem to be reluctant to pay significant fees for managers, and with his release clause continuing to be a barrier to an exit, you have to wonder whether Rohl could live to regret burning his bridges at Hillsborough.
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