Four next Hibs manager contenders assessed: Tactical expert verdict and trophy-laden boss leaving comfort zone
Here is the lowdown on four next Hibs manager contenders.
Hibs are hunting their next manager and four names have come to the fore in recent days.
David Gray was sacked as head coach last week and fans are eager to know who will lead the first team when domestic football returns from the international break on October 10 away at Dundee United. Danish legend Jon Dahl Tomasson has been rumoured as an option alongside Shamrock Rover gaffer Stephen Bradley.
The Evening News revealed on Tuesday that both Michel Kniat and Vesa Vasara are understood to be among those being considered as the next Easter Road leader. But who are the four men in question? We take a look.
Stephen Bradley
Bradley has been in charge of Shamrock Rovers since 2016 and he’s embroiled in another League of Ireland title race with just five games remaining. He has previously rejected chances to work in the UK for family reasons but rumours suggest his contract is not for a fixed term, and is believed to include a clause allowing him to leave for another offer, if certain conditions are met.
He’s a five-time league winner, twice winning the FAI Cup, and had the club in the Conference League’s league phase recently. His ability to win and develop players at LOI level is highly-lauded with former Hearts and Ireland midfielder Glenn Whelan reckoning Hibs would be a challenge he needs to take him out his comfort zone.
Whelan - recently sacked as Livingston manager - said on Off the Ball over in Ireland: “What Stephen’s done over the last 10 year at Rovers has been outstanding. He’s won everything he can do in Ireland. He’s got them into Europe and done things that Shamrock Rovers will probably never do again. His next step might need to be to go somewhere else and experience it. What Hibs are trying to do now in the Scottish Premiership with Hearts, Celtic, Rangers, I think it could be a good stepping stone for him. It’d be a tough challenge as he’d be stepping out his comfort zone. It might be a challenge Stephen needs.”
Michel Kniat
Not a name fans will be familiar with but one that has emerged on the Easter Road radar. Kniat ended his three-year stint with German side Arminia Bielefeld at the end of last season. He guided them to the 2025 DFB Pokal Final, while still a third tier side, losing 4-2 to VfB Stuttgart. He won promotion back into Bundesliga 2 and their status at that level was secured in season 25/26. Almost all of his playing and coaching career has been spent Germany’s lower leagues, however, his high-pressing style that aims to turn the ball over in the opponent’s third of the pitch has earned plaudits.
“We would like to thank Mitch and his team for their hard work over the past three years. These have been very intense and formative years, during which we achieved a great deal together and thrilled both the city and the club with outstanding successes,” explained Arminia Sporting Director Michael Mutzel at the end of last season. “It speaks volumes about our trusting collaboration throughout this time and even now that we were able to discuss our current assessments openly and honestly – just as we always have in the past.
“After several discussions and a joint analysis, we also exchanged views on further development steps and realised that we don't share the same vision for the future. As a result, we unanimously concluded that it is best to end our collaboration with the positive conclusion of the season and the successful relegation battle. While it is always sad when a fantastic period filled with many wonderful experiences comes to an end, we remain proud of what we have achieved.”
Jon Dahl Tomasson
Danish great Jon Dahl Tomasson is certainly the most high-profile name mentioned as a Hibs contender, most recently sacked as Sweden boss, having been at English Championship side Blackburn Rovers beforehand. Pundit Andy Halliday claims that Hibs ‘want’ the ex-AC Milan star and that ‘there have been chats’ over his hiring.
His managerial stock was built in Sweden at Malmo, where he won two league titles, and guided them into the Champions League group stage. Experience in Holland and with the Danish national team has him boasting the type of CV fans would get excited by. He plays a high-tempo possession-based style that isn’t afraid to be direct and wide if need be. Former Blackburn striker Sammie Szmodics outlined previously what playing under Tomasson entailed.
"You’ve got Jon Dahl Tomasson, who tactically is the best I’ve ever had,” Szmodics said. “It was only when you understood it that you realised his football was so simple. He basically wanted you to pass the ball wide and make a run. It was as simple as that. Make a run into the area between the corner flag and the 18-yard box. He did all his research and found that most goals come from cutback areas, so he said that if we could get the ball into that area, we would create chances. Tactically, both on and off the ball, everything he did was spot on. If you understood what you were doing, you would play. I think his man-management was very harsh. If you didn’t do what he wanted you to do, you wouldn’t play. Tactically, he is unbelievable, and he improved me as a player. I came on leaps and bounds as a footballer.”
Vesa Vasara
Inter Turku boss Vasara is also in a tight title race at the top of Finland’s Veikkausliga, sitting a point off the lead, with 10 games to play. The 50-year-old has won the Finnish League Cup in the last two season and led Inter into Europe over the summer. They made it to the Conference League play-offs but lost 4-1 on aggregate to Danish side Copenhagen.
Vasara won 12 caps for Finland and notably scored the goal that made HJK Helsinki the first Finnish side ever to reach the Champions League proper some 28 years ago. He spent seven seasons as Honka manager until they went bust and looks to play in an attacking 4-3-3 set-up. Inter still have the best defensive record in the Finnish top flight though which proves he isn’t all guns blazing.
“In the selection criteria for the head coach, we emphasised knowledge of the domestic football field,” Inter chairman Nikolas Hakans said of hiring Vasara. “We felt it was important that the head coach has existing networks with Finnish players and an understanding of the strengths of Inter’s current team and the Veikkausliiga more broadly. This helps ensure that when the new head coach starts his work, we can fully focus on implementing the club’s strategic goals. In our discussions with Vasara, we felt that our worlds of thought align very well with regard to both club operations and Finnish football, and we believe he is a great person to guide Inter’s representative team forward on the path charted by the club.”