Bristol Rovers facing issue in appointing 44-year-old to replace Matt Taylor | OneFootball

Bristol Rovers are facing an issue trying to appoint former Stuttgart coach Michael Wimmer.

Bristol Rovers' chance of appointing Michael Wimmer as their new head coach is looking increasingly slim with work permit issues proving a significant obstacle.

This is according to Bristol Live, who report that a deal for the 44-year-old would be off the table if the permit is rejected.

The Gas sacked Matt Taylor earlier this week after a run of bad form left the club hanging perilously above the drop zone.

Appointed on the 1st of December 2023, the former Exeter City manager lasted just over a year in charge and six wins in 19 games this season wasn't deemed acceptable.

This has forced Rovers to search for a new boss, and while they believed they had found their man in Wimmer, the deal has unfortunately had a significant setback due to these recent developments.

As evidenced above, Bristol Live are reporting that the deal is in jeopardy due to these issues.

According to their sources, the chances of him obtaining a work permit are "seemingly doubtful", with the German coach having no previous experience working in England.

Should this be rejected, the Rovers board do have the option of appealing the decision, but how long it would take to process remains unclear.

Nevertheless, it is understood that the South West club were prepared for this eventuality and have a shortlist of several other targets. In addition, they expect their managerial search to be completed in time for the Boxing Day fixture against local rivals Exeter, so Gasheads can rest easy heading into the Christmas period.

Bristol Rovers need to get their season back on track

Having finished last season in a disappointing 15th place, Rovers supporters entered this year in the hope that they can push towards that fabled top six.

Unfortunately, this just hasn't come to fruition and with the predominance of their victories coming against struggling sides, it is difficult to envisage them pushing that far up the league.

In addition, with Rovers shareholder Hussain Al Saeed looking for outside investment, their progress may be stunted for the foreseeable future.

This off-field issue is likely to spill onto the pitch, as potential new owners may struggle to secure the necessary January transfers for the incoming head coach.

However, whoever comes in as the new boss will hope he can gloss over these cracks and begin to push the Gas back towards safety