Following the sacking of Xisco Munoz, Sheffield Wednesday have been on the hunt for a new manager as they aim to hire someone who can work miracles with a cash-strapped squad, one that finds itself in a position of peril at the bottom of the table
With an international break giving them ample time to assess each candidate, Wednesday have an opportunity to ensure that their next appointment is the right one and not make the same mistake again.
As things stand, the Owls' start to the season makes for grim reading, sitting rock bottom of the Championship, without a win in their opening 11 matches and are already seven points adrift of safety.
In simple terms, if Wednesday get their next managerial appointment wrong, they will be staring down the barrel at an immediate return to League One.
Since the club parted ways with Munoz, several names have been linked to the job, but there is one clear front-runner.
Who is the favourite to become the next Sheffield Wednesday manager?
Danny Rohl is the name on everyone's lips. The 34-year-old has emerged as a favourite to become the successor to the Spaniard and was reportedly interviewed for the managerial post in the summer, however, Wednesday made what turned out to be the wrong decision to hire the former Watford manager.
With an impressive history of coaching under his belt, Rohl has worked as a coach at Bayern Munich and as an assistant at RB Leipzig, Southampton and the German national team.
For all his coaching expertise, he's never stepped into the managerial hot seat and although that hasn't deterred Wednesday from pursuing a young coach who would undoubtedly bring fresh ideas, other candidates on the list possess far more managerial experience.
Given the disastrous position that the Owls find themselves in, Dejphon Chansiri needs to decide whether to back a young manager like Rohl long term, giving him time to stamp his philosophy onto proceedings and mould the squad how he likes it, potentially taking the hit of relegation and then providing him with the tools to bounce back.
Or, he can go for someone with short-term thinking in mind, hiring someone who has vast experience of keeping teams up in the Championship with the hope they're able to perform miracles and keep Wednesday in the second tier.
One candidate who has been linked to the post and ticks the latter of those boxes is Sabri Lamouchi as Darren Witcoop stated he's "one to watch" last week.
He said: "Sabri Lamouchi one to watch re the Sheffield Wednesday job. The Frenchman, who has Champ experience with Nottingham Forest and Cardiff, had been expected to return to management with Qatar SC this week. He’s just signed up with agent Pini Zahavi to seek new opportunities."
What would Sabri Lamouchi bring to Sheffield Wednesday?
If Wednesday were looking for a manager who can work on a tight budget and exceed targets set of him, they should look no further than Lamouchi.
The Frenchman's first spell in England came at Nottingham Forest, spending just over 18 months at the City Ground between July 2019 and October 2020.
He was in charge of the Reds when they dramatically missed out on the play-offs on goal difference in 2019/20 as they finished in seventh position – their highest finish in the second tier since the 2010/11 season when Billy Davies led the club to 6th.
While his time at the club was disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak and the return to football behind closed doors, he still exceeded expectations, carrying his expertise on his return to England last term, taking on a role at strugglers Cardiff City.
Similarly to Wednesday's current position, Lamouchi arrived in January with the club three points above the relegation zone in 21st but having recorded six victories, including crucial wins over Watford and Rotherham, he managed to steer the Bluebirds to safety, five points above 22nd place Reading.
Dubbed by Ben Watson as "intense" during his time on Trentside, the 51-year-old was praised by his former player for getting his ideas across quickly and for being a winner, the sort of characteristics that Wednesday need if they are to turn their season around.
He said: “He’s an intense character and he’s a winner. He has his own ideas but he’s also open to the boys in the dressing room having their opinion on the Championship.
“He’s never worked in England and he’s always willing to learn about the game. It’s early days in his tenure but he’s extremely open-minded and as the season goes on I think we’ll get even stronger.”
Although the job he did in south Wales was far from glamorous, he smashed the target that was set of him with a squad lacking in quality and if given a chance by Chansiri, he could be the right man to resurrect their season.