Carlton have confirmed they will approach Mick Malthouse about becoming the AFL club’s next coach and that his availability was factored into the sacking of Brett Ratten.

Blues president Stephen Kernahan, who felt like he had blood on his hands after sacking close mate Ratten with a year left on his contract, said Malthouse fitted what Carlton needed.

“We’ll be speaking to people like Mick Malthouse,” Kernahan told reporters on Thursday, after announcing Ratten would coach his last game against St Kilda on Sunday.

“We’re looking for a respected senior coach that hopefully has coached a premiership and he will certainly be in the mix.”

Malthouse has coached three premierships, guiding West Coast to flags in 1992 and 1994 and Collingwood in 2010.

Blues chief executive Greg Swann, who has worked alongside Malthouse in the same job at Collingwood, acknowledged he was keen to reunite with him.

“I would. I know him well,” Swann said.

“We had a great relationship … we’ve remained in touch and we’re pretty good mates, so if he’s available he’ll be good.”

Swann admitted his relationship with Malthouse had hung over Ratten’s coaching tenure.

“It’s probably been the Grim Reaper over our shoulder for a long time,” he said.

Malthouse is the short-priced $1.15 favourite with Sportingbet and Centrebet to get the top job at Carlton.

Asked whether Ratten would have been sacked had Malthouse not been available, Kernahan and Swann both paused for a considerable time, before the president eventually admitted it affected their thinking.

“It’s a close call,” Kernahan said.

“As I said before, it’s a very harsh call on this.

“Brett Ratten, either way, all year could have kept going with this job.

“That’s why I suppose we’ve waited so long and wanted to wait until the end of the year, because we were still in the game.

“Is Mick Malthouse available? Well, he’s said he is, we’ll find out.”

Kernahan said the Blues also wanted to speak to former Sydney premiership coach Paul Roos.

Swann also confirmed the Blues list management group had discussed the prospect of recruiting Collingwood premiership forward Travis Cloke, although they believe he is more likely to remain with the Magpies.

Surprisingly, Kernahan urged Cloke to stay loyal to the Magpies, despite Carlton’s desire for an experienced key forward.

“Travis Cloke should stay at Collingwood for mine, that’s a personal view,” Kernahan said.

The Blues plan to keep most of their current assistant coaches, who are contracted for next season.

But Kernahan said three board members would retire at the end of this season and he would not be around much longer.

“I’ve got a year or two tops to go, if I keep going after this year,” he said.

Kernahan admitted last round’s shock loss to Gold Coast was a big tipping point in what had been ongoing assessment of Ratten’s future.

Ratten said he wanted to remain in coaching and would consider putting himself forward for the Port Adelaide job, the only vacant head coaching position.