Next Manager Rumours and Candidates

Northern Echo


Sunderland want to appoint new head coach quickly at end of season
By Scott Wilson

SUNDERLAND’S hierarchy are confident the current uncertainty over the head coach position will not drag on into the summer – and intend to complete the appointment of a new permanent boss in the immediate aftermath of this weekend’s final game of the season.

A bitterly-disappointing campaign will reach its conclusion on Saturday lunchtime when the Black Cats host Sheffield Wednesday in their final fixture. The game at the Stadium of Light will also mark the end of Mike Dodds’ latest spell in interim charge, with the stand-in boss set to return to his former role as part of the club’s senior coaching staff this summer.

A new permanent head coach will be appointed in his wake, with majority owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman having spent the last couple of weeks firming up their plans.

With a worrying sense of drift having been apparent in the last month or so, as Sunderland have tumbled down the Championship table, there is a strong determination that a sense of stability is restored as quickly as possible.

A list of potential candidates has been whittled down this month, to the point where sources claim the Black Cats’ ownership group are now confident they will be able to move quickly once the current campaign is completed.

Reports in the German media over the weekend strongly linked Sunderland with Bayern Munich’s current Under-19s boss, Rene Maric, and there is believed to have been contact between senior Black Cats figures and the Bundesliga club.

Maric, an Austrian 31-year-old, worked under Marco Rose at RB Salzburg, Borussia Monchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund before leaving Germany to work as part of Jesse Marsch’s first-team coaching set-up at Leeds United in the summer of 2022.

He left Leeds when Marsch was dismissed the following February, and joined Bayern Munich’s coaching set-up last November. He was promoted to his current role as the head of the club’s Under-19s in February, and boasts extensive youth-development experience, having previously worked with the likes of Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham in Germany.

Domestic candidates that have been considered are believed to include Paul Heckingbottom, who is currently out of work following his dismissal from Sheffield United in December, and Danny Rohl, who has done an excellent job to guide Sheffield Wednesday to the brink of Championship safety despite having inherited a seemingly impossible situation when he took over at Hillsborough last October.

Heckingbottom was one of the candidates seriously considered by the Sunderland board before the appointment of both Alex Neil and Michael Beale, and still has his backers within the corridors of power at the Stadium of Light.

Rohl has impressed during his stint in charge of Wednesday, but has hinted he would like to stay in Sheffield if, as now looks likely, the season ends with his current employers still in the Championship. The German 34-year-old is contracted to Hillsborough until the end of next season, and provided the Owls stay up, the Sheffield Wednesday hierarchy will ensure it is extremely expensive for anyone to prise Rohl from South Yorkshire

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Sunderland Hold Talks With Managerial Candidate

Sunderland have held ‘informal talks’ with former striker Jermain Defoe over their vacant managerial position, according to the Sunderland Echo.

The Black Cats have been without a permanent Head Coach since parting company with Michael Beale in February. The former Queens Park Rangers boss had only been in charge for 12 games before his dismissal, the second time the Wearsiders had opted to make a change at the top this season.

Mike Dodds was handed the reins on an interim basis for the third time, tasked with seeing the club through until the end of the season.

Sunderland are keen to get their next appointment right as they look to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017. As a result, they have taken their time on the decision, although are said to be keen to make an announcement shortly after the end of the campaign.

Unsurprisingly, several names have been linked to the post. These include previous bosses Alex Neil and Roy Keane, and ex-Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, there is thought to be concrete interest in Will Still and Paul Heckingbottom, whilst Danny Rohl could be targeted from Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday. Despite that, a new name has now emerged.

Speaking to Sunderland Echo, Jermain Defoe has revealed that he has held talks with the club, although hasn’t had an interview at this stage:

“I’ve had no interview or anything like that. And like I said before when we spoke, I spoke about obviously the people that want to come with me and even in the background, certain players that I know that I can attract, young top players in the country that I can attract to try and get the club back into the Premier League.

“I’ve had those sorts of discussions. So, nothing’s changed really, but I’ve not had an interview. I went to the Leeds-Sunderland game and just watched the team and stuff like that. So that’s it.”

The 41-year-old had two spells at the club as a player, scoring 37 goals in 100 appearances. Despite his good relationship with the supporters, the ex-England international knows the position is a coveted one:

“And you know what? It makes me want to do it even more because when I look at the news from Tom Cleverley. He was on my player-to-coach course and I see Tom Cleverley getting a Watford job and someone who I played with and a young coach who had one year at Watford and now he’s the manager of such a big club.

“So when you see stuff like this and that, you just think, ‘Okay then, I’m just still waiting for my opportunity’. I’ve read loads of comments. I know the fans. I think for a lot of people, they look at it and think, ‘Oh, it makes sense because of the relationship’. But I mean, we’ll see what happens. I’m sure there must be about 10 or 20 managers who would love to have the Sunderland job, do you know what I mean? So, it’s a massive job.

“So, we’ll see. I’ve not had an interview or anything, but I think they’re aware that, obviously, I’d be interested in taking a job. Why not?”

Sunderland finish their season on Saturday when they welcome Sheffield Wednesday to the Stadium of Light.

Writer’s View

Defoe would certainly be a left-field appointment. However, there seems to be an ever-growing trend in the EFL to take a chance on inexperience, with success seen at the likes of Sheffield Wednesday, QPR and Lincoln City.

He is unlikely to be near the top of the list and there may still be a preference to opt for somebody who knows what it takes to get out of the division, such as Paul Heckingbottom. There is no denying that the former attacker would immediately have the fans on side though. He is highly regarded on Wearside and obviously knows the club inside and out. It would certainly be a risk, but it could be one worth taking.

Aye right, just like Johnson, Beale, Ross, Grayson, Parkinson, Mowbray Coleman McMenemy you mean 🤣 😜 😉

As I said earlier, we don't want a bridesmaid, we need a bride.

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Don't need to speak German Les.

He's the coach of the feckin 'U19's' not even good enough for the reserve team.

Look at Bayern munich Web page, he ain't even mentioned FFS

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Emerging reports have now revealed that Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe is now among the favourites for the Sunderland job.

The 45-year-old was a prolific Football League striker in his day, best known for his spells with Bury and Tranmere Rovers among others.

He’s since made his name in management with Bury, Plymouth Argyle, and now Preston.

Ryan Lowe record at Preston North End and his 2023/24 season

Lowe left Plymouth Argyle in December 2021, when they were in League One, to take charge of Preston North End.

He’s since overseen 123 games and has won 47 (38.21%), losing 45, and achieving 13th and 12th place finishes in the Championship.

The Lilywhites were dark horses in the race for top six this season, though four-straight defeats now has Preston sitting in 10th place of the table ahead of their final day clash at West Brom.

Ryan Lowe to Sunderland analysis

Lowe isn’t the glamorous name or the young coach that Still or Rohl might be.

But he’s got something that neither of those two (Still especially) have; Championship experience, and pedigree at this level.

Lowe has been in the Football League either as a player or a manager since the start of the Century.

He’s vastly experienced and he’s rapidly made a name for himself as a manager, with his Plymouth side and now his Preston side being well regarded as organised, and very technical.

His current Preston team; they’re very technically-gifted and quick in the middle sector, with Lowe and his team having gone toe-to-toe with many in the top six race this season, albeit falling short.

Lowe has a distinct habit of making relatively average players into very good Championship players and that should appeal the Sunderland hierarchy.

Though he’s not got that elite coaching background that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus may fancy.

Lowe however is on a 12-month rolling contract and so he could be free to take charge in the summer, making him something of a dark horse for the Sunderland job. 👎