Former Portsmouth favourite tipped for Championship vacancy as ex-Arsenal ace heavily linked with new role

The Blues welcome Hull City to Fratton Park on Saturday, which is set to take centre stage for the final-day drama involving five relegation-threatened sides.

Thankfully, John Mousinho’s men can breathe easy after already confirming their survival against Watford last week.

No doubt planning will have already started behind the scenes at PO4 for the upcoming transfer window, as Pompey prepare for their second season in the Championship.

And the Blues’ rivals are also making moves ahead of the summer, with plenty of gossip already doing the rounds in the second-tier.

Here are all the latest headlines from across the Championship.

Gary O’Neil tipped with vacancy

Former Pompey favourite Gary O’Neil has been tipped with a managerial return to a surprise Championship club.

The 41-year-old has been without a job since December after being sacked by Wolves after suffering a poor start to the Premier League season. This saw the Molineux outfit sit 19th after the opening 16 games of the campaign - picking up just one league win during that period against bottom-of-the-table Southampton.

Follow all of the action from Pompey when you sign up for our football newsletters

Now, O’Neil is the early favourite to make a return to former side QPR as they go in search of a new boss.

The ex-midfielder spent just a one season at Loftus Road where he helped guide the R’s to Championship play-off success under Harry Redknapp during the 2013-14 campaign. He amassed 33 appearances in all competitions in west London and played a key role in securing an instant comeback to the top flight.

News of a return to Loftus Road comes after the club placed Marti Cifuentes on gardening leave on Tuesday evening. Uncertainty continued to grow over the Spaniard’s future, after he had been heavily linked with the vacant role with West Brom.

A move to the Hawthorns now looks increasingly unlikely, after The Telegraph revealed he was not on the Baggies’ shortlist.

Ex-Arsenal ace tipped with managerial role

Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has been heavily linked with the vacant Norwich City role, according to Graeme Bailey.

It comes just a week after the Canaries sacked manager Johannes Hoff Thorup after a disappointing run of two wins in their previous 14 league games.

Since then, the search has gone on to find his successor, with O’Neil also recently tipped in the market for a return to Carrow Road.

Now it appears Wilshere is the favoured option in East Anglia, having taken interim charge since Thorup’s departure last week.

The 33-year-old led the Canaries to a goalless draw against play-off chasing Middlesbrough on Saturday and face already relegated Cardiff this weekend.

It would represent Wilshere’s first managerial role in professional football after a successful spell as Arsenal under-18s coach following his retirement in 2022. The ex-West Ham and Bournemouth midfielder then joined Norwich as assistant coach in October 2024.

Your next Pompey read: The surprise Portsmouth return offering optimism as boss delivers exciting update on Fulham arrival and long-term absentees