Former Barnsley FC and West Brom chief appointed as head coach at Championship play-off chasers

The former Reds, West Brom and Watford boss replaces John Eustace, who left Rovers to join Derby County earlier this month.

Ismael transformed Barnsley from relegation contenders to top-six contenders in astonishing fashion in his only season at the club in 2020-21, when they won 25 of his 44 games in charge to finish fifth before losing to Swansea City in the play-offs.

He soon left for The Hawthorns.

Rovers chief executive Steve Waggott said: “We were hugely impressed with Valérien throughout what was a rigorous recruitment process.

"He knows the Championship extremely well and what it takes to finish in the play-offs.

"He has played and managed in some of the biggest environments across Europe, and has all the credentials to have a successful spell with us over the coming years."

The former Crystal Palace defender took over at Oakwell in October 2020, when they were 21st in the second tier.

France-born Ismael, who has German citizenship, replaced Gerhard Struber on a three-year deal after he left for MLS side New York Red Bulls.

Ismael made 13 appearances for Palace in 1998 during his playing career and has also been head coach of Besiktas, LASK, Wolfsburg, Apollon Smyrnis and LASK.