Bristol City Eye Hearts Boss Derek McInnes After Title Heartbreak Opens Door to Shock Move

A number of Championship clubs, including Bristol City, are considering whether to try and exploit Heart of Midlothian’s Scottish Premiership heartbreak by expressing an interest in their manager Derek McInnes, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

Only three minutes away from snatching the title during last weekend’s final match of the season at Celtic, the Edinburgh side saw their hopes of ending the Old Firm’s grip on the trophy evaporate when Martin O’Neil’s men retained it with a dramatic late comeback.

Despite falling short at the final hurdle, McInnes’ success at Tynecastle has not gone unnoticed at Ashton Gate, with senior figures there contemplating whether or not to halt their pursuit of Portsmouth’s John Mousinho and explore whether the Jambo’s failure at Parkhead might prompt the 54-year-old to consider a switch to England.

Although he cut a disconsolate figure following their collapse in Glasgow, McInnes remains firmly committed to his position at Hearts and is well-respected by the consortium, including Brighton and Hove Albion chief Tony Bloom, which owns them.

FINANCIAL DISPARITY

His position in the capital is safe but, given the disparity in financial resources between teams north and south of the border, that will not stop the likes of City and potentially Blackburn Rovers too from attempting to lure him to England as they look to fill their own managerial vacancies.

Privately, McInnes would welcome the chance to work in the EFL or Premier League at some stage of his career having represented both West Bromwich Albion and Millwall as a player. 

But Hearts are confident he will rebuff any invitations to speak with officials at either Ashton Gate or Ewood Park over the coming months and redouble his efforts to build on the progress they have made under his tutelage.

McInnes is under contract with The Jambos until 2029 and plans to spend the summer assessing transfer targets whilst also persuading key players such as Claudio Braga to remain in situ.