Emile Heskey believes Championship specialist Slavisa Jokanovic would be the ideal replacement for Chris Wilder at Sheffield United, speaking exclusively to HITC.
If the Blades want to emulate the likes of Norwich City and Watford, ensuring that their return to the Championship is little more than a flying visit, then it’s hard to imagine a better man for the job than this 52-year-old Serb.
Jokanovic not only guided Watford to the Premier League in 2015, he also did the same at Fulham, defeating Steve Bruce’s Aston Villa in the 2018 play-off finals at Wembley.
And, if Jokanovic is willing to give up his money-spinning contract at Al-Gharafa, Heskey believes Sheffield United should waste no time in handing the one-time Chelsea defender the keys to the Bramall Lane machine.
“There’s a handful of managers who have done what Sheffield United would want, which is to bring a team back up and understand the league that you’re going down into. And he is one of those managers,” says Heskey, the former England and Liverpool striker.
“The first year (back in the Championship) will be tough. The second, if you don’t go up, will be even harder. You don’t want to be staying in that league for long. You look at Norwich and Watford; they are going straight back up.
“There’s only a handful of managers around who have achieved that (securing promotion from the second-tier) and he is one of them.
“So he could be a great fit.”
According to The Star, Jokanovic is seriously tempted by the idea of taking over from the legendary Wilder at Sheffield United.
And Heskey believes that the current Qatari Stars League boss would even be willing to reduce his rumoured £4 million-a-year demands if the Blades come calling (Sun, 4 April, page 61).
“I think he would adjust his demands to be honest. We’re talking about coming to one of the biggest leagues in the world. I believe, to get back to England, he would definitely adjust his demands.”
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