Wycombe Wanderers eyeing ex-Charlton Athletic manager to replace Matt Bloomfield | OneFootball

The League One side are in need of a new boss since the departure of Matt Bloomfield

Wycombe Wanderers are reportedly considering the appointment of Dean Holden as their new manager.

That’s according to Daily Mail journalist Mike Keegan, who confirmed via his X account that Holden is on the list for the managerial vacancy at Adams Park.

The Chairboys are in need of a new manager following the departure of Matt Bloomfield, who became the new boss of Luton Town, as exclusively revealed by Football League World earlier this month.

It remains to be seen whether Holden becomes the frontrunner, or whether he’s just one of a number of options.

Holden in running for Wycombe job

Holden’s most recent post was over in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq, the Saudi Pro League side managed by former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard.

He left the role as assistant manager there by mutual consent back in November after a difficult start to the season for Al-Ettifaq, and has been out of work since.

The former Oldham Athletic defender has held no.1 roles in English football before, with both Bristol City and Charlton Athletic, in the Championship and League One respectively.

However, both of those permanent appointments lasted for under a year, before results took a turn for the worse and Holden departed.

Wycombe fans may hope for more experience

Although this wouldn’t be Holden’s first job, his short-lived tenures mean he’s only taken charge of 73 games as a permanent boss, plus 15 games as the interim manager of Oldham in 2015 and one game for Stoke City.

Wycombe currently sit in second place in the table, following Bloomfield’s incredible start to the season, with only two points separating them and Birmingham City at the top of the table.

The Buckinghamshire club have not been in the Championship since their one-season stay in 2020/21, having spent the last couple of seasons in midtable in the third tier, so they are likely hoping for someone experienced to get them over the line and capitalise on their promising start.

There’s no saying Holden isn’t the man to do that — he’s started well in his other jobs before tailing off further down the line — but he may not have been at the top of many Wycombe fans’ lists.

Chairboys will be a difficult task for anyone who steps in

Even if the club do opt for someone with more experience, with a track record of earning promotions, there is no saying the job at Adams Park will be an easy one.

Bloomfield was already a club legend before he took the gig in 2023, having appeared 557 times for the Chairboys in a career spanning 18 years.

Add to that his unexpected push for promotion this season with Wycombe, and it’s easy to see why fans are so upset by his mid-season departure — he looked on course to make history with the club he spent almost his entire senior playing career with.

When a club sacks a manager, it can be easier for the new appointee to come in and breathe some fresh life into the club — when a successful manager has been ripped away by another team, it can be much harder to win fans over who were more than happy with the old order.