Carlton Palmer has claimed it is ‘clear’ that Sunderland will employ a foreign manager now.
Speaking to Football League World, the former midfielder said he would be ‘shocked’ if the club didn’t look abroad in their search of Tony Mowbray’s replacement.
Sunderland parted ways with Mowbray late on Monday night, days after they held Millwall to a 1-1 draw in the English capital.
His departure comes eight months after the Black Cats had already considered replacing him with Francesco Farioli, but only three months after they opted to extend Mowbray’s contract instead.
Sunderland clearly didn’t already have anyone lined up to take the hot seat on Wearside, however they have already been linked with a mountain of names across Europe.
Two of the current favourites for the job seem to be Will Still and Julien Sable, both of which are plying their trade in France.
While Sunderland may end up with an alternative coach, Palmer is still adamant that their search will end outside of Britain.
“It is clear that Sunderland will employ a foreign manager next,” he said.
“This has been the indication at the club for some time that they want a manager that will sign and work with young players.
“The Black Cats hierarchy wants to promote a model that favours youth development.
“Francesco Farioli was linked with the Sunderland job back in March, he has done a fantastic job at Nice and he is certain to be in the running.
“Other names that have been linked with the job are John Eustace, Steven Schumacher, and Nathan Jones but I would be shocked if it wasn’t a foreign manager appointed in the coming days.“
Are Sunderland going down the right road?
Sunderland have mostly been linked with managers abroad and have reportedly already planned talks with IFK Varnamo coach Kim Hellberg for today.
It seems pretty clear to everyone where their focus lies and I think most fans have begun to accept that too.
Our past two appointments have been very British and experienced and far from what Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman have envisioned for the club, and they will be chomping at the bit to finally kickstart their plans for the future.
It is a fresh start for the Black Cats and something that most supporters are looking forward to. You just need to look at the likes of Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Frank to see how successful this model can be.