Sources: Gus Williams set to quit Blackburn Rovers as interviews begin with contenders to replace him
Blackburn are searching for a new head of recruitment with Gus Williams set to leave the role after just a year at Ewood Park, sources have told Football Insider.
Williams joined Blackburn last summer after working for the Football Association of Wales as National Talent ID Manager and he is set to link up again with the Welsh FA in a new role.
Blackburn are drawing up plans for Williams’ replacement and have already held interviews with several candidates as they look to fill the post quickly.
Williams was one of a number of sweeping changes behind the scenes last summer overseen by new director of football Gregg Broughton.
He replaced previous recruitment guru John Park, who joined Rangers shortly after the expiration of his contract last July.
Park himself had only been in situ at Ewood Park for a year, meaning Rovers’ next appointment will be their fourth in as many seasons.
Blackburn have made player trading a key component of their strategy, with manager Jon Dahl Tomasson tasked with nurturing young prospects within a specific framework to increase their resale value.
The club’s January window, however, was seen as an abject failure as procedural errors behind the scenes meant they were unable to secure the deadline day signing of Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien.
Broughton has since publicly apologised to both Rovers supporters and O’Brien himself.
Similar errors meant Blackburn also missed out on 19-year-old Rochdale midfielder Ethan Brierley, although that deal is expected to go through in the summer.
But the January disappointment has been swiftly forgotten at Ewood Park thanks to a run of five successive victories.
Blackburn are 4th in the Championship and will face Sheffield United in the FA Cup quarter-final later this month.
In other news, expert claims Tottenham could still sign Blackburn Rovers star Ashley Phillips despite the youngster’s new deal in East Lancashire.