Former Portsmouth favourite and ex-Wolves man holds talks with Championship rivals over vacancy

As the dust settles on a frenetic Championship season which saw Pompey impressively finish in 16th, John Mousinho has his sights set on what promises to be another busy transfer window.

The head coach has already rubbished claims of a potential move to West Brom and insisted he has no intentions of departing Fratton Park this summer.

There are currently five Championship managerial vacancies which need filling, with Hull City the latest to begin their search for new leadership after sacking Ruben Selles on Thursday. Elsewhere, a former Pompey favourite is being heavily linked with one of the Blues’ second-tier rivals.

The Telegraph have claimed Gary O’Neil has held talks with Norwich City over a potential return to Carrow Road this summer.

The Canaries, of course, have been managerless since April, when they sacked Johannes Hoff Thorup in the aftermath of their 5-3 defeat to Pompey on Good Friday.

Despite Jack Wilshere holding the interim role for the final two games of the season, the ex-Arsenal man has since been ruled out of the running.

As the search continues, O’Neil has emerged as one of the leading contenders for the role in East Anglia, having been out of a job since December.

Discussions have reportedly taken place with the 41-year-old, who spent two seasons with the club as a player - amassing 55 appearances as well as achieving a promotion to the Premier League.

The former midfielder has been without a job following his sacking at Wolves earlier in the campaign, leaving the club 19th in the Premier League after picking up just one win in their opening 16 games.

The Canaries have also reportedly held talks with former Liverpool coach Pep Ljinders, who was sacked by RB Salzburg in December.

After coming through the ranks at Fratton Park, O’Neil went on to amass 192 appearances and also played a key role in the Blues’ Division One title success during the 2002-03 campaign.

QPR managerial search latest

While O’Neil is a contender for the Norwich role, former Canaries boss Thorup is also rumoured to be making a swift Championship return.

The 36-year-old has been heavily linked with the QPR vacancy, with Marti Cifuentes still on gardening leave.

The Telegraph has claimed the Danish coach has held discussions with the south London club just weeks after his departure from the East Anglia outfit.

Thorup spent less than 12 months at Carrow Road after being appointed as David Wagner’s successor in May 2024. He went on to win just 14 of his 47 games in charge.

QPR placed Cifuentes on gardening leave on the eve of the final day after a breakdown in relationships with chief executive Christian Nourry. The Spaniard was tipped with the vacancy at West Brom, although he was later ruled out of the running.

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