BARNSLEY have spoken to a number of overseas head coaches who are interested in the vacant Oakwell position, as well as monitoring the domestic market, according to chairman Neerav Parekh.

The Reds sacked Darrell Clarke earlier this month and gave the job on an interim basis to Conor Hourihane who Parekh has said is a candidate but not a ‘frontrunner’.

The first round of interviews is well underway before a smaller group of candidates will be spoken to again.

Parekh told the Chronicle: “It’s a very attractive job.

“It’s a very historic club with a great fanbase and something a lot of head coaches would want to come into.

“We have looked domestically and internationally.

“The kind of manager that plays the high-pressing football we want is typically found in Europe.

“But post-Brexit, it’s a lot harder to do that. There is a balance.

“If you look at Europe, the visa rules mean that the really good up and coming young ones wouldn’t qualify and the ones who do qualify get offers from the top divisions in Europe. It’s very hard as a League One club.

“That said, we continue to look at that market and we have talked to a number of them already who fit that threshold of qualifying and are interested.

“But we will look domestically as well because there are a lot of talented English managers.”

Asked when he would like to make the appointment by, Parekh said: “My timescale is tomorrow if we find the right option but, based on all the managers we have spoken to, I think the best options will be available in the summer. It’s in everyone’s interest to get someone in quickly and for them to be in charge of the pre-season.

“But I wouldn’t sacrifice that for the right person, I would rather wait.”

Parekh has said that the previous two managers Clarke and Neill Collins did not play the style of football the club wants.

When asked why they didn’t employ someone they knew would play that style, Parekh told the Chronicle: “You get things wrong in life.

“With the last two managers, they had spells where they had pressed in previous jobs and we thought they would be the right fit.

“They are both fantastic people but it didn’t work out and hopefully we can get it right this time.

“It’s extremely hard, much harder than it previously was, because most of those managers tend to be European and it’s not as easy to get them in.

“But we’ve had success with (Daniel) Stendel, (Gerhard) Struber, (Valerien) Ismael so it’s not impossible.”

Barnsley have signed 15 players throughout this season, with very few being regular starters and good performers now.

Parekh said: “A handful of them have been absolute successes, a couple need more time and it’s too early to judge.

“Some of them absolutely haven’t worked out and that’s the nature of the beast.

“In football, if you get 50 per cent right you are doing well. Historically Barnsley have got more than that right.

“You also need to look at some of the players’ roles.

“Some of them came in to be fringe players on lower wages – you need some of those players.

“The expectation wasn’t that every player would be a world-beater.

“No club can have that unless you have unlimited money.

“Our squad is a lot better than a lot of people give it credit for.

“I am very certain that, in three year’s time, people will look at this squad and wonder how they didn’t get promoted because some of these players are going to go on to much much bigger things.”

He added: “The landscape of football has changed.

“There are gems to be found but it’s harder than back in the day when Barnsley consistently unearthed gems.”

Sporting director Mladen Sormaz has been heavily criticised by supporters recently. Parekh said: “It would be very unfair to single Mladen out for criticism but, when the club is doing well, it wouldn’t be fair to praise one person as well. It’s a collective effort – the board and head coach are also involved in recruitment and it’s a lot harder than most people think.”

Parekh said the Reds would ‘absolutely have to sell’ some star players this summer as they are set to lose £750,000 per month next season. The likes of midfielders Adam Phillips and Luca Connell, as well as top-scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn, are the obvious players who could be of interest to other clubs.