Blackburn Rovers: Valérien Ismaël plotting summer reunion with ex-Barnsley man | OneFootball

Adam Murray and Valérien Ismaël could reunite at Blackburn Rovers in the summer.

Blackburn Rovers' new head coach, Valérien Ismaël, is prepared to wait until the summer to reunite himself with his former coach Adam Murray.

The pair have previously worked together at Besiktas, West Bromwich Albion and Barnsley, and according to Alan Nixon, the French manager is eager for Murray to join his backroom staff at Ewood Park.

Rovers appointed Ismaël earlier this week, and he began his tenure at the club with a last-minute draw against Norwich City, as veteran Andreas Weimann's header earned a 1-1 draw.

This saw them slip out of the top six as Coventry City surpassed the Lancashire club and West Brom with their 3-2 win over Oxford United.

Nevertheless, Blackburn supporters will remain hopeful, and Murray will be optimistic about arriving at a Premier League club in the summer, should the stars align.

Valerien Ismaël set to boost backroom staff with Adam Murray addition

As alluded to previously, Blackburn are confident that they will be able to boost Ismaël's appointment with the addition of one of his right-hand men.

Murray is currently the head coach of Eastbourne Borough, who are flying high in the National League South as they aim to close the gap on table-topping Dorking Wanderers.

Despite his success at the Sports, it seems that a potential role at Ewood Park would prove too enticing for the 43-year-old.

The duo's best success came at Barnsley, where, against all the odds, they managed to secure a fifth-place finish in 2020-21.

Since then, they have experienced less successful spells together at the Baggies and Besiktas, but Murray will be hoping to replicate that Tykes success at Blackburn.

Adam Murray has impressed on his personal missions

Since Murray last worked with Ismaël, the well-travelled coach has impressed with various roles in non-league football.

His time at AFC Fylde saw him secure promotion from the National League North in 2022-23, as they achieved the feat with an impressive points tally of 95 from 46 games.

While he was sacked the following year after a poor start to the season, he is now looking to add a second promotion from the sixth tier of English football to his CV. Borough are just three points behind Dorking, and with a crucial trip to Meadowbank later this month, Murray will be eager to see his side close the gap.

If they do secure an ascension to the National League, it could change Murray's mind with the manager surely having personal ambitions of success.

Rovers are likely to offer him a financial package well in advance of what Eastbourne can.