Sheffield United have appointed Slavisa Jokanovic as their new manager. The former Watford and Fulham boss has signed a three-year contract with the club. He succeeds Chris Wilder, who left the club in March after just over four and a half years in charge. The Under-23 coach, Paul Heckingbottom, oversaw the club’s final 10 matches of the season,was unable to prevent relegation from the Premier League.
Jokanovic won promotion from the Championship at Watford and Fulham and the 52-year-old has been managing Al-Gharafa SC in Qatar since 2019.
“I’m honoured to become the manager of this historic football club and I’m grateful to [owner] Prince Abdullah bin Mosa’ad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, [vice-chairman] Yusuf Giansiracusa and [chief executive] Stephen Bettis for trusting in me to start this new chapter,” he said. “We all share the same long-term vision, passion and ambition for Sheffield United.
“I’m excited to work in English football again and I’m looking forward to getting started with the players and staff, as well as meeting our passionate, loyal supporters as we prepare for the challenge in the Championship.
“I want to assure our amazing fans that we’re fully committed to helping the team achieve its goals and make you feel proud. With your support, we can make Bramall Lane a fortress and I have no doubt that your voice will make a big difference to the team after so long without you last season. Let’s work together to get Sheffield United back to where the club belongs.”
The Oostende manager, Alexander Blessin, the Club Brugge boss, Philippe Clement, and Heckingbottom, who won three of his final six matches at the helm, were understood to have also been on the club’s shortlist as Wilder’s permanent successor.
Prince Abdullah said: “Over the past two months, the club has undertaken a rigorous recruitment process in our search for the right person to take Sheffield United forward. We’ve been keenly conscious of the importance of this decision and therefore have considered many strong candidates and have undertaken thorough due diligence. After an exhaustive evaluation, it was evident that Slavisa was the man we needed at the helm.”