Blackpool have confirmed that Michael Appleton is their new head coach on a four-year deal.

The Seasiders were left surprised when Neil Critchley decided to join Aston Villa as Steven Gerrard's assistant earlier this month and they have been on the lookout for his replacement since.

A host of names have been linked with the vacancy in that time but the club revealed today on their official site that they have turned to Appleton.

This will be the 46-year-old's second spell at Bloomfield Road, as he previously had the job in November 2012 but it didn't really go to plan, as Appleton resigned after just 11 games in charge.

Since then, he has developed a reputation as a good, attacking coach, with his most recent role coming in League One with Lincoln City.

Appleton took the Imps to within one game of the Championship but they would lose the play-off final in 2021 to Blackpool at Wembley. They did have a disappointing previous campaign though, where they came 17th.

It had been claimed Liam Rosenior was offered the job but he turned it down due to concerns over the budget and training ground.

The verdict

This is obviously a risky appointment because Appleton has most recently been in the third tier so he is making a step up and that will bring concerns.

Having said that, Appleton could be a good fit for Blackpool because he has a reputation for playing attacking football and has shown he can help develop and improve younger players.

It's now down to Appleton to repay the faith the board have shown in him and the fans can now look ahead to the new season after weeks of speculation.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.