BARNSLEY are closing in on their new head coach with Daniel Stendel's name once again in the frame.

Conor Hourihane left his role as head coach on Saturday after the final game of the season, following a mutual agreement between him and the club last month.

The Reds are understood to have been in negotiations with a final candidate across the last week, with reports in Germany – including leading newspaper Bild – claiming Stendel may be set to return for a second stint in the Oakwell hotseat. Advanced discussions are understood to be ongoing but the deal was not thought to have been finalised as of yesterday afternoon.

The 52-year-old German was previously Barnsley head coach during the 2018/19 League One season, leading them to automatic promotion with a club record points tally of 91 and not losing at Oakwell in the league that campaign.

He was sacked in October 2019 after a difficult start in the Championship, following the exits of several key players.

He then had a brief spell at Scottish club Hearts which ended during the Covid-19 lockdown before a disastrous stint at Barnsley’s then sister club Nancy in France.

Since 2022, he has been back at his previous job in charge of Hannover’s reserves who compete in the lower leagues in Germany and are due to play their final games of the season on the next two Saturdays. He almost rejoined Barnsley in 2024 but opted to remain in Germany for family reasons.

The Reds finished 15th in League One after a 3-1 loss at home to Stockport County on Saturday.

The fixtures for the new season are due to be unveiled on June 25 while the next campaign begins with an EFL Cup tie on the weekend of August 7-9 before League One kicks off a week later.

The summer transfer window is open from June 15, although clubs can sign players on pre-contract agreements before then.