Bristol City are on the search for a new head coach after Liam Manning’s departure to Norwich City was confirmed earlier this week.
Manning led Bristol City to sixth place in the Championship and their highest position in the second tier since the 2007-08 season. His departure leaves Robins fans wondering who the club will turn to next in order to carry on the good work started by Manning.
Using statistics from Fotmob, this article takes a look at five potential options Bristol City must consider in their search for a new head coach.
Rob Edwards – unattached
Edwards has been without a club since his departure from Luton Town in January 2025. Despite a difficult end to 2024 with the Hatters, the 42 year old has significant successes that would be of interest to Bristol City.
The former defender turned manager has two promotions on his CV. Edwards guided Forest Green Rovers to the League Two title in 2022 and gained promotion with Luton through the play-offs to the Premier League in 2023.
During his success with Luton, Edwards predominantly played a 3-5-2 formation. This could provide some stability and familiarity for the Bristol City squad with Manning deploying a 3-4-3 formation in the second half of the 2024-25 season.
The 42 year old experience as a winner and specifically winning promotion through the Championship play-offs could be a significant benefit for Bristol City in their search for a new head coach.
Edwards may be tempted by the project currently going on at Ashton Gate and see Bristol City as the club that he can win his next promotion with.
Richie Wellens – Leyton Orient
Having taken Liam Manning from League One, the Robins may look to the third tier again to appoint their next manager. Leyton Orient’s Richie Wellens could well be an option for the Championship side given the successes he has had previously.
Like Edwards, the Leyton Orient manager has got a number of success stories on his CV. Over his managerial career, the 45 year old has won the League Two title with Swindon Town and Leyton Orient as well as the EFL Trophy with Salford City.
If Bristol City were to appoint Wellens it would likely lead to a change in formation with the current Orient manager favouring a 4-2-3-1 formation. Despite the change in shape, Wellens likes to play out from the back with an emphasis on attacking football.
Leyton Orient and Bristol City had 51.8% and 51.1% average possession respectively last season so would allow the squad at Ashton Gate to progress into next season with a similar playing style. On top of this, Wellens would likely bring attacking football as his Orient side were the joint-second highest scorers in League One with an average of 1.6 per match.
Despite never managing in the Championship, Wellens will argue that he has deserved his chance in the second tier. The 45 year old will believe he can continue the upward trajectory at Bristol City having made significant progress with the East London side, taking them from relegation strugglers in League Two to League One play-off finalists last month.
David Wagner – unattached
Another manager currently out of a job who could be of interest to Bristol City is David Wagner. The 53 year old has been out of work since his departure from Norwich in 2024.
Wagner is another manager who has tasted success in the Championship, having been promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield Town through the play-offs in 2017. On top of this, he led Norwich to a play-off place in 2024 before losing in the semi-final to Leeds United.
Whilst in the dugout at Carrow Road, Wagner favoured a high-intensity and attacking style of play. During the 2023-24 season with the Canaries, they were ranked fifth for goals per match with 1.7 goals.
Similar to Wellens, the former Huddersfield Town head coach deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation during his time at Carrow Road. Despite a change in formation, the possession statistics from Norwich during their play-off season were similar to Bristol City’s having had an average possession of 49.3%.
Wagner may not be the most attractive name for Bristol City fans to think about but the 53 year old has shown during his time at Norwich and Huddersfield that he can succeed in the Championship.
Steve Cooper – unattached
Steve Cooper is another manager who has a successful CV that could benefit Bristol City heading into next season. After reaching the play-offs twice with Swansea City, the 45 year old won promotion to the Premier League with Nottingham Forest through the play-offs in 2022.
One attribute that Cooper could bring to Ashton Gate is his tactical versatility. The 45 year old has set his side up in 4-2-3-1, 5-3-2 and 3-5-2 formations during his managerial career which would be useful to Bristol City when playing different quality of oppositions.
Cooper has previously emphasised his style of play during his success as England under 17 manager:
“We want to play with purpose, dominate possession, play forward and get the ball back as quick as we can”.
The 45 year old manager is likely to be in high demand for any Championship club looking for a new manager. The question regarding Cooper taking over at Bristol City is whether he sees them as a realistic chance at getting back into the Premier League.
Dave Challinor – Stockport County
Another successful League One manager that might be on Bristol City’s radar is Stockport County’s Dave Challinor. The 49 year old is another manager who has a number of promotions on his CV.
Starting his managerial career in non-league with Colwyn Bay, Challinor joined AFC Fylde and won promotion from the National League North and the FA Trophy with the Lancashire side. He has gone on to win promotion from the National League twice and then kicked on by sealing promotion to League One with Stockport in 2024.
Similar to Cooper, the Stockport manager has played a variety of formations throughout the most recent League One campaign including 3-1-4-2, 5-3-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations. This level of versatility would be a positive attribute for Bristol City in the Championship.
Challinor prefers to play a high-intensity and counter-pressing style which is shown by his Stockport side ranking fourth for possession won in the final third at an average of 4.1 per match. On top of this, the Manchester side were ranked second for expected goals (xG) and joint-second for goals per match in League One with 68.9 xG and 1.6 respectively.
The progression that Challinor has made throughout his career will undoubtedly be of interest to Bristol City in their search for a new head coach. The question will be whether the 49 year old would be willing to leave the successful project currently ongoing at Stockport to start again at Bristol City.