Barnsley have appointed Lee Johnson as their manager. The 33-year-old has left their League One rivals Oldham Athletic to take over on a contract to 2018.
Johnson had been in charge at Boundary Park since March 2013 and has taken the club to ninth place this season, two points off the final play-off place. He replaces Danny Wilson, who was sacked by Barnsley on 12 February.
Simon Corney, Oldham’s owner, would like to see Paul Scholes, a lifelong Latics fan, succeed Johnson. The former Manchester United midfielder is a friend of Corney and still follows Oldham, retaining season tickets for himself and his family.
Scholes worked temporarily at Manchester United as a coach last season under Ryan Giggs, who was interim manager after David Moyes was sacked. Scholes earns a sizeable income from media work including a newspaper column and television punditry, which may be a factor in any decision on whether to enter management.
Barnsley have won their past two games under the caretaker managers Mark Burton and Paul Heckingbottom and are 16th in League One but only four points off the last play-off place in a division in which six points cover 12 clubs.
A Barnsley statement said: “From the outset the board determined that it was seeking young candidates with strong coaching credentials and astute tactical awareness. A clear and attractive football philosophy and a viable plan to implement that philosophy was also sought.
“The board also gave some credit for a knowledge of our club’s current playing contingent, the teams in our division and proven ability to recruit players with development potential.
“A small number of candidates were interviewed and Lee Johnson was selected as significantly the best of these. He met the selection criteria established and also produced a specific plan for Barnsley Football Club for his first 100 days in charge. This included a playing strategy and specific tactics and identified current weaknesses and credible recruitment targets to strengthen our team.”
