Former Bristol City defender Liam Rosenior has emerged as joint-favourite for the vacant managerial role at Blackpool.
The Tangerines are still on the lookout for a new boss after the shock exit of Neil Critchley last week who joined Aston Villa as Steven Gerrard's No2 with his predecessor Michael Beale heading for Queens Park Rangers.
Bolton Wanderer's Ian Evatt was one of the early bookies favourites, but his odds have drifted with the 40-year-old reportedly happy to stay with the League One side and prepare to mount a promotion push.
Cheltenham Town's Michael Duff now appears the most likely to take the position having undergone an interview with the Blackpool board while Stockport's Dave Challinor's name also remains in the hat.
Rosenior, who began his career with the Robins having come through the academy, is 2/1 to take the position following Derby's relegation to League One. He was appointed specialist first team coach to Phillip Cocu at the Rams in July 2019 before being promoted to Wayne Rooney's assistant on the former England captain's appointment in January 2021.
Blackpool are looking to appoint an "up-and-coming" manager, similar to Critchley, and Rosenoir would fit the bill with his reputation increasing during his time at the East Midlands despite their relegation from the Championship last season.
Rosenior hung up his boots in 2018 following a three-year stint at Brighton before moving into a coaching role with the club and later joining Derby as he awaits his first managerial position.
He spent one season at Ashton Gate as a senior first-team player during the 2002-03 campaign in the Second Division making 27 appearances across the campaign before joining Fulham.
Former Bristol City manager Dean Holden has only been rumoured to be in the mix for the position as he looks to step back as the main man in the dugout. The former defender is currently No2 to Michael O'Neill at Stoke following his spell in charge at Ashton Gate.
Holden spent seven months as manager of Bristol City from July 2020 after a run of six consecutive defeats saw him sacked in the following February having been replaced by Nigel Pearson.
He recently spoke to talkSPORT declaring his intention to step back into management, when he said: "I think I some point in the future I'd love to do it again, it was a job I absolutely loved, I've got to be honest. When I decided to go back in as an assistant having been a manager, it was important that I could work with a guy that I could really learn from.
"Michael's a great manager, a hugely successful national manager, I've learned so much in the seven or eight months I've worked with him so that's for me the most important. I'm definitely a better assistant having been a manager because I know what it feels like to walk in those shoes."
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