Shrewsbury chief executive Brian Caldwell has conceded it’s inevitable other clubs will show interest in Shrews’ manager Paul Hurst given their success this season. We understand the 43-year-old, who is the bookies’ latest favourite to take over at Town, is a very serious contender for the job having been among those recommended to Blues owner Marcus Evans, but it’s reported no contact has yet been made with League One’s third-placed side.
"There is nothing we can do,” Caldwell told the Shropshire Star. "It is down to the success we’ve had this season and last since he’s come here.
"He’s really kicked the club on. I think it’s inevitable, because of the success he’s had, he’s going to get linked with other jobs, we appreciate and understand that.
"As long as we’re all honest with each other, I’d suggest there will be a time when Paul will get the right job offered to him. I’m not saying it’s just now and we want that to be as long in the future as possible.
"If you’ve not got an ambitious manager who wants to go on and do better and better all of the time then you won’t succeed. It’s inevitable the success that he’ll get linked with most jobs. It’s like ‘here we go again’.”
Caldwell hopes Hurst, who took over at the Montgomery Waters Meadow in October 2016 following a successful spell in charge at Grimsby, will remain with the Shrews, who could reach the Championship this season via the play-offs, for a while yet.
"The relationship that Paul, myself and the chairman have got, we talk on a regular basis,” he added. "There’s a lot of trust between the three of us. It’s an important link. We’ll always be honest and straight.
"I don’t think we need to do anything because Paul understands we can’t go and spend X amount of pounds on a player. We’ll live within our means as we always will.
"Paul is not the type to get upset and say he wants to go somewhere else. Everybody is ambitious in life. There will come a time he perhaps wants to move on, but as long as he continues to be successful we hope it’s in a few years’ time.”
Hurst is now the 5-2 favourite for the vacancy with Bet Victor ahead of Chris Coleman at 6-1, the former Wales manager having briefly headed the betting yesterday following his Sunderland exit.
Shefki Kuqi is third favourite at 8-1, Wigan’s Paul Cook is at 10-1, then ex-Blues boss Roy Keane a shock and very unlikely entry into the market at 12-1 with Tony Mowbray 14-1, Östersunds manager Graham Potter another new name in the running at 20-1 alongside Sol Campbell, and Mark Warburton and Taiwan manager Gary White at 25-1.
Meanwhile, TWTD understands Kilmarnock boss Steve Clarke, whose name is yet to cross the bookies’ radar, is another of the managers to have been recommended to Blues owner Evans, who it's believed is starting the process of interviewing potential candidates this week.
The 54-year-old, formerly manager at West Brom and Reading as well as assistant boss at Newcastle, Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool and Aston Villa, has had a hugely impressive season at Rugby Park since taking over in October last year, overseeing a climb from bottom of the Scottish Premiership with only three points from eight games to their current position of fifth with 55 points from their 35 matches.
Elsewhere, ex-Blues boss Mick McCarthy is the 11-4 on favourite to return to his former club Sunderland following Coleman’s departure.
McCarthy was spotted on South Tyneside yesterday, although it’s understood his presence in the North-East was related to his property portfolio in the area rather than the vacancy at the Stadium of Light, where he was in charge from 2003 and 2006.