English Championship side Blackburn Rovers have appointed Grégory Vignal as their new U21 head coach, bringing the Frenchman back to British football after spending this past season as part of the FC RFS coaching staff in Latvia.
Vignal joined RFS in March 2025 as the club’s first-team development coach, tasked with overseeing the growth of young talents and helping integrate them into the senior setup.
In an interview with Baltic Football News in July, Vignal spoke warmly about his experience in Latvia and his work with the RFS club:
“Rīga is a beautiful city. People are really open and friendly. And the food is amazing. Every time I see RFS playing, I just want to see the club winning games and trophies.”
Despite his desire to see the club winning games and trophies, RFS ended the season without major silverware, falling in the Latvian Cup semifinals and finishing second in the Virslīga as their rivals Riga FC claimed their first league title since 2020.
Now, the 44-year-old Frenchman returns to the United Kingdom, where he enjoyed his greatest successes as a player. A Liverpool academy graduate, Vignal lifted the FA Cup, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Super Cup with the Reds before winning the Scottish Premier League title with Rangers – a club he later served as a youth coach and as Steven Gerrard assistant prior to his move to Latvia.
Source: https://www.rovers.co.uk/news/2025/november/10/rovers-appoint-new-under-21s-head-coach/
