Bristol City told to pursue 42-year-old Spanish manager as Norwich City-bound Liam Manning's successor | OneFootball

The speculation surrounding Liam Manning's future has intensified - with Norwich City making an official approach for the Bristol City manager

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

The speculation surrounding Liam Manning's future has intensified - with Norwich City making an official approach for the Bristol City manager - any compensation is understood to be around the £800k mark, according to John Percy.

Manning has emerged as Norwich's number one target after dismissing Johannes Hoff Thorup towards the end of the past season.

The former MK Dons and Oxford United boss led Bristol City to the play-offs this term - only to lose to Sheffield United in the semis with an aggregate score of 6-0.

The Canaries confidence in securing Manning's services appears very high - with the move being described as "as good as done", the £800k compensation fee does reflect the impact his leaving would have on the Robin's plans.

Ruben Selles backed as potential replacement for Liam Manning at Bristol City

Speaking about potential replacements, our Bristol City Fan Pundit - Tom Sandy, acknowledged it was "too early for there to be a standoiut number one choice" but identfied Ruben Selles as his preferred candidate.

"I think Ruben Selles would be a really good choice for me, just thinking of managers that have recently worked in the Championship - obviously i think he got wrongfully fired by Hull, they seem very happy to sack their managers pretty sharpish but I think he did a fantastic job there and he was doing a fantastic job at Reading before that," Sandy told FLW.

"I’m not too familiar with his style of play, but yeah what i do know he was able to turn Hull around and keep them safe - and with departures possible this season he might have to do that with us.

I don’t know how well we’re going to perform, we’ll just have to see - I think he’ll be a good manager and my number one choice for now, purely on his experience and i’m not sure the manager market right now is particularly strong.

Ruben Selles would be a suitable replacement for Liam Manning at Bristol City

Ruben Selles' recent managerial journey does provide strong evidence for his suitability to succeed Manning at Ashton Gate.

The 41-year-old was appointed Hull City head coach in December 2024 - replacing Tim Walter after he had the Tigers struggling. Although he saved them from the drop on the final day, Selles fell victim to trigger-happy owner Acun Ilicali.

Prior to his Hull appointment, Selles had guided Reading to sixth place in League One - impressive when taking into account the Royals' off-field troubles.

Experience coaching in multiple countries, including - Cyprus, Russia and Azerbaijan, provides Selles with a lot of both cultural and tactical experience.

There is no denying his appointment would represent a different profile to Manning but one that aligns with Sandy's assesment that Bristol City may need a manager capable of "turning around" the teams fortunes if they have other departures in the summer.

The timing of any potential appointment remains very uncertain - with Manning yet to formally complete his move to Norwich City - but with the transfer window approaching and pre-season preparations on the horizon, Bristol City will need to move somewhat quickly to secure their preferred boss once Manning's departure is confirmed.