Oxford United appoint Bloomfield as new head coach

Oxford United have appointed Matt Bloomfield as their new head coach.

The 41-year-old has been out of work since he was sacked as Luton boss in October and replaces Gary Rowett who was dismissed on 23 December following a run of one win in 10 matches.

The U’s are currently 23rd in the Championship, three points adrift of safety.

Bloomfield will watch Friday’s FA Cup third round tie at MK Dons, with interim manager Craig Short remaining in the dugout, before taking the reins next week before the visit of Bristol City on 17 January.

A decision on Bloomfield’s coaching staff will be made in due course an Oxford statement said, while the club have not disclosed the length of his deal.

“I want my teams to work hard, attack with purpose and play with a clear identity,” Bloomfield added.

Bloomfield began his managerial career at Colchester United before taking over from Gareth Ainsworth at Wycombe Wanderers in 2023.

After leading the Chairboys to the League One automatic promotion places amid the challenge of big-spending Birmingham City and Wrexham last season, he left the club to take over at Luton in January.

But Bloomfield was unable to prevent the Hatters from suffering back-to-back relegations to the third tier and was dismissed after an underwhelming start to the season, with the club 11th in the table.

The club have already added two new players to their squad in January, with midfielder Jamie Donley, 20, arriving on loan from Tottenham Hotspur for the rest of the season, and Brentford’s Myles Peart-Harris also signing a short-term deal.

The U’s play four league games – against Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, Leicester City and Birmingham City – inside 15 days later this month.

“Matt stood out for his attention to detail, work ethic and his strong belief in building success the right way. He is a coach with a very clear idea of how he wants his teams to play,” said Oxford’s head of football operations Ed Waldron.