Simon Jordan has admitted that he is a big fan of Barnsley manager Valerien Ismael amid reports linking West Brom and Crystal Palace with the promotion-chasing tactician, while speaking to talkSPORT (27 April, 11.30am).
On the final day of the 2019/20 Championship season, the Tykes needed the latest of late winners to avoid relegation by the skin of their teeth.
Clarke Oduor’s 91st-minute strike at Brentford kept Barnsley up at Charlton’s expense.
At the time, absolutely no one would have dared to dream that, ten months on, that very same team would be celebrating a place in the play-offs, cementing a top-six berth with three games remaining.
Valerien Ismael has built on the foundations laid by Gerhard Struber and Daniel Stendel at Oakwell, turning an unfancied, low-cost Barnsley side into one of the most competitive teams in the whole of the Championship.
The Sun (18 April, page 67) reports that West Bromwich Albion have been so struck by Ismael’s impact in South Yorkshire that they have identified him as a potential replacement for Sam Allardyce.
The 46-year-old has also been linked, via the Telegraph, with a return to Crystal Palace; two decades on from his ill-fated spell as a player at Selhurst Park.
And you’d imagine that Jordan, the former Palace owner, would be thrilled to see Ismael arrive in familiar surroundings once Roy Hodgson’s contract expires.
“Oh yeah, I do like him. He’s a very strong manager, a very strong leader and I think players understand clearly what’s expected of him and what their jobs are,” Jordan explained.
“(Barnsley) are the team that’s going into the play-offs with momentum. They’re very formidable. If I’m one of those teams in the play-offs, the last side I’d want to play is Barnsley.”
Famed for his ferocious, gegenpressing style, it would take some time for Palace and West Brom to adapt to Ismael’s demands.
Thanks to the similarly swashbuckling Struber, Barnsley were certainly well-placed to embrace Ismael’s methods.
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