Former Malmo boss Tomasson targeted in Hibs’ manager hunt
Champions League winner Jon Dahl Tomasson has emerged as a fresh candidate for the vacant Hibs managerial post.
The Scotsman has learned that the former Malmo boss is now a target for Hibs as the club’s board continue the search for Shaun Maloney’s successor.
Tomasson, 45, had a distinguished playing career with Newcastle United, Feyenoord and AC Milan, where he won Europe’s most coveted trophy in 2003. Capped 112 times by Denmark, he appeared at the 2010 World Cup before moving into coaching.
He was most recently with Swedish giants Malmo, who knocked Rangers out of the Champions League qualifiers earlier this season.
He guided the Allsvenskan champions to the group stage of the competition before standing down in January this year in the wake of winning the title for a second consecutive season.
Tomasson joins a shortlist that also contains former Sunderland manager Lee Johnson and former Lincoln City and Oxford United boss Michael Appleton, who was close to taking the Hibs job in 2019.
Having whittled down the list of possible candidates, owner Ron Gordon and chief executive Ben Kensell have been carrying out interviews with a view to making an announcement in the next week.
Hibs are searching for their third manager in six months after dispensing with Maloney’s services last month.
The club failed to reach the top six in the cinch Premiership under his watch and he was sacked after just 120 days in charge. Maloney had replaced Jack Ross, who was dismissed in December last year following a poor run of form.
David Gray has been in caretaker charge of the first team with fellow coach Eddie May and they will take the team for the final match of the season against St Johnstone on Sunday, with eighth place the highest Hibs can finish.
The new manager is expected to be given a significant budget to strengthen the squad this summer following the sale of Martin Boyle to Alfaisaly earlier in the year and the return of top-earner Chris Mueller to the United States.