Ex-Bristol City and Sunderland manager closes in on intriguing new European role amid 'highly-rated' claim

A former Championship manager who has taken charge of sides including Bristol City and Sunderland is set for his first overseas role, according to new reports.

Lee Johnson, who managed the Robins between 2016 and 2020 before spending two years at the Stadium of Light, is set to be appointed as the new head coach of Belgian second-tier side Lommel SK, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Jacobs claims that Johnson is “highly rated” by the City Football Group, the multi-club ownership group run by the owners of Manchester City, having worked in a coaching role within the group over the summer.

Johnson is set to succeed former Arsenal star Steve Bould as Lommel manager, with Bould resigning after two-and-a-half years at the helm in January. Another former Arsenal player, Ryan Garry, has been in caretaker charge since, but Johnson is now expected to take the reins for the rest of the season.

Former Robins coach takes on new challenge

Johnson, 43, has been in management since 2013 and has taken charge of Oldham Athletic, Barnsley, Hibernian and Fleetwood Town alongside his spells at Ashton Gate and on Wearside. He also made nearly 200 appearances for the Robins as a player between 2006 and 2011, mostly in the Championship under his father Gary, who was manager up until 2010.

He is now set to head overseas for the first time in his career in football, and will take over a side who are enduring a difficult season in the Challenger Pro League, Belgium’s second division.

The club are currently 13th in the 16-team division, having won just five of their 22 matches so far, despite having pushed for promotion under Bould last season, eventually finishing fourth in the table.

Johnson, meanwhile, will hope to re-establish his reputation as a coach after disappointing spells with Hibs and Fleetwood. He lasted just three months with the latter and was sacked after winning just six of his 22 games.

Robins battling for promotion as Johnson embarks on Belgian adventure

While Johnson prepares to take on a new challenge on the continent, his former side are pushing for a play-off place in the Championship, with a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough keeping the Robins within touching distance of the top six.

The club are currently ninth in the table but should they win their game in hand away to Millwall on Tuesday evening, they will go level on points with sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion with 11 matches remaining in the season.

Following the match against Millwall, Bristol City face a challenging run of fixtures, with a game against Hull City followed by matches with automatic promotion contenders Sheffield United and Burnley and play-off rivals Norwich City, Watford and West Brom, with the outcome of that challenging string of games likely to determine the course of the season under current head coach Liam Manning.

In other news, AI has predicted Bristol City’s summer transfer activity should the club achieve promotion to the Premier League.