England lose bowling coach Ottis Gibson for the Ashes, and may struggle to get top target Richard Johnson

Gibson will take over as South Africa's head coach, leaving England on the hunt for new blood to lead their seamers

England’s Gibson will be taking over as South Africa's coach (Getty)

England are searching for a new bowling coach to lead their attack into the Ashes after Ottis Gibson was confirmed as the new head coach of South Africa.

But a leading candidate, Middlesex's Richard Johnson, won't be applying for the role, The Independent understands.

Johnson was a popular choice among the players and works closely with England bowlers Steven Finn and Toby Roland-Jones.

Richard Johnson of Middlesex (Getty 2017)

But the 42-year-old former seamer is not thought to be keen on travelling all winter due to his young family and is enjoying his current role for now. England may yet try to convince him otherwise, but their alternatives are Graeme Welch, Steffan Jones and even Darren Gough, who may be interested in a part-time role.

The departure of the highly-rated Gibson, who played two tests for West Indies, had long been expected with Russell Domingo's contract ending next month, and the Barbadian coach has now officially been handed the reins of the national side in all three formats through to the end of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

"His playing and coaching credentials are impressive and that will place the Proteas in good hands as we move towards a big home summer with both India and Australia visiting us," Cricket South Africa CEO Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.

"Having spent a great part of his playing career in South Africa, Ottis is familiar with our country and that should help him to settle in quickly with our national team."

Gibson, who has been with England in his current role since 2015, will leave after the conclusion of the test series against West Indies next month.

The search for a new bowling coach now begins in earnest ahead of the five-test Ashes series against Australia that starts in Brisbane on November 23.