Sources: Wycombe Wanderers in advanced talks to appoint Colchester United boss Matt Bloomfield
Wycombe Wanderers are in advanced talks to appoint Colchester United boss Matt Bloomfield with Gareth Ainsworth set to take up the job at Queens Park Rangers, sources have told Football Insider.
Bloomfield, 39, is the preferred choice of Chairboys chiefs following his 19-year playing career at the club.
Football Insider revealed QPR’s approach for Ainsworth on Monday (20 February), and he is now set to replace Neil Critchley at Loftus Road.
He is the second-longest-serving boss in the Premier League and EFL, having spent 10 years at Adams Park.
Ainsworth, formerly a player at QPR and Wycombe, won promotion from League Two and League One while at the helm.
Wycombe have turned to a familiar option to replace the 49-year-old – with former club captain Bloomfield making 556 appearances for the club between 2004 and 2022.
He turned out for the club in League One, League Two – and retired in the midst of the Chairboys’ relegation from the Championship following a serious head injury.
In the final throes of his playing career, Bloomfield was part of Ainsworth’s coaching setup.
He left the club to take up a head coach job of his own, taking charge at Colchester in September 2022 with the U’s in danger of relegation from the EFL.
Bloomfield has since steered the Essex club from 21st to 18th – and could leave them nine points ahead of the drop zone with 13 matches left to play.
He claimed the League Two Manager of the Month award in January after picking up 13 points from six matches.
Wycombe face Shrewsbury on Saturday (25 February), while Colchester take on Northampton Town.
The Chairboys are challenging for promotion this term and sit just three points outside a playoff place with 15 games to play.
In other news, Football Insider updates with Arsenal in pole position to sign England superstar after new talks.