Birmingham set to hold talks with Tony Mowbray to become their next manager after Wayne Rooney’s sacking… with another ex-England star among other names in the frame

Tony Mowbray was due to hold talks with Birmingham on Thursday as the club seek a successor to former England captain Wayne Rooney.

Rooney was dismissed on Tuesday after a miserable run of 10 points from 15 games and Mowbray – who was surprisingly sacked by Sunderland in December – was set to meet club officials to discuss the role.

Since Birmingham removed Rooney, they have been assessing numerous candidates, including Rooney’s former England team-mate Frank Lampard. 

The Chelsea great has the profile to appeal to US owners Knighthead, who include NFL icon Tom Brady, although it is unclear whether the Chelsea great would want to resume his management career in the bottom five of the Championship.

Gary Rowett – who managed Blues from 2014-16 – is another of interest along with Nathan Jones, who did an outstanding job during two spells at Luton but struggled in his last post at Southampton and was sacked after three months.

Wayne Rooney was sacked by Birmingham on Tuesday after only 13 weeks in charge

Mowbray is an experienced operator in the Championship. He led West Bromwich Albion to promotion in 2008 and has also had spells with Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Sunderland.

The 60-year-old took Sunderland to the play-offs last season in their first campaign in the second tier since promotion from League One but was ditched in favour of former Queens Park Rangers and Rangers boss Michael Beale at the end of 2023 – a move that was unpopular with many supporters.

As Mail Sport revealed on Wednesday, a group of senior players are keen on John Eustace, who was shown the door in October to make way for Rooney. 

While Eustace would be open to returning, that would take huge climbdown from US owners Knighthead, who dismissed him even though the club were sixth in the Championship.

Frank Lampard is another candidate being considered by Birmingham’s American owners

Former Blues manager Gary Rowett is another potential Rooney replacement 

Nathan Jones, who struggled at Southampton after success with Luton, is another option

NFL legend Tom Brady (left) is one of Birmingham’s minority owners after the club was taken over by Tom Wagner’s Knighthead Group in July

Technical director Craig Gardner and chief executive Garry Cook are leading the search for the new boss and had a long list of up to 20 names. 

Development chief Steve Spooner has led training this week though three members of Rooney’s backroom team – Ashley Cole, John O’Shea and Pete Shuttleworth – remain at the club.