Jon Dahl Tomasson: One-time Hibs manager candidate replaces ex-Easter Road boss at English club

Jon Dahl Tomasson has revealed he “had a lot of options” following his departure from Malmo after being announced as the new Blackburn Rovers boss.

The former Denmark striker was a strong candidate to become the next Hibs boss prior to Lee Johnson’s appointment.

Now he has taken over ex-Easter Road manager Tony Mowbray at Ewood Park, signing a three-year deal with the Championship club.

Tomasson, who played for Feyenoord, AC Milan, Villarreal and Newcastle United, as well as scoring a record 52 goals for Denmark in 112 caps, arrives having led Malmo to back-to-back league titles and is joined by assistant coach Remy Reijnierse and performance director Ben Rosen.

“I'm really proud and excited to be taking over as head coach of Blackburn Rovers – a club with a lot of tradition and also great ambition,” he said.

“We have a young team here, and also a great academy, and the owners have a clear vision, which is to develop players and become a sustainable Premier League club over time, so I’m really happy to be involved in this exciting new chapter for the club.

“Since leaving Malmo, I have been looking for the right club and I had a lot of options, but after speaking to Steve and Gregg I got a really good feeling about the club and I knew that I had found my next opportunity.

“I grew up watching English football, so I know all about the passion for football here and how special football fans are in England, so it’s great to come to such a big club as Blackburn Rovers and to be involved with such passionate fans and in a really good league, which the Championship is. It will be a great challenge, but it’s something I’m really looking forward to being a part of.”

One-time Hibs candidate Jon Dahl Tomasson has taken over at Blackburn Rovers. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

His appointment followed an exhaustive selection process with Tomasson emerging as the preferred candidate.

“His work around developing players, along with demanding a culture of giving everything to the club, is exactly what we need at this juncture,” the club’s CEO Steve Waggott said.

“His passion, purpose and humility shone through in his interviews and we obviously have high hopes that he will build on the platform that has been established over the last five years.”