BBC pundit Marco Gabbiadini has given his thoughts on the appointment of Pedro Ribeiro at Sunderland.
Sunderland have hired a new Assistant Head Coach to Regis Le Bris, bringing in Pedro Ribeiro.
The unknown Portuguese coach arrives with some impressive experiences on his CV having worked as a scout and an assistant coach throughout his career.
The 38-year-old got his big break working under Andre Villas-Boas at Porto more than 10 years ago, having since held positions with Fenerbahce and Olympiacos.
Ribeiro has also had spells in management but to no avail, now returning to coaching where he’ll hold the same position as Mike Dodds.
Sunderland fans are excited by Ribeiro’s arrival, even though few know what to expect from him and what changes his arrival at the Stadium of Light could foresee.
But it gives Le Bris a long-awaited, new name on his coaching staff, with the Black Cats having searched for a new assistant since Le Bris was appointed over the summer.
Marco Gabbiadini verdict on Pedro Ribeiro appointment at Sunderland
Speaking on Total Sport, former Sunderland man and now BBC pundit Marco Gabbiadini gave his thoughts on Ribeiro’s appointment.
Gabbiadini jokingly commented that Ribeiro must be good interviews given the amount of clubs and positions he’s had in the past.
The former Sunderland striker said: “You look at his CV, the clubs he’s been at, he must be good in interviews, is what I’d probably get from that, because he’s had loads of jobs.
“He’s got experience, I suppose you’d say, but it’s going to be a whole new ball game for him, and I suppose the thing that you’d comment is that he’s going to bring something different, something fresh to the table.
“It’s hard to comment until we see the outcome of it.”
Sunderland can’t expect drastic changes under Pedro Ribeiro
Whether we see any noticeable changes at all under Ribeiro, especially in his first few weeks with the club, is up for debate.
Ribeiro will no doubt slot in, take on board what’s currently going on, and try to pick everything up as soon as possible.
If results improve or get worse now, it’s nothing to do with Ribeiro. Like Gabbiadini says, he’ll need time to adjust having never worked in English football before.
Ribeiro though could well be primed to one day succeed Le Bris, should that day ever come, either as an interim should Le Bris be sacked or poached by another club.
All in all, Ribeiro’s appointment only seems positive for Sunderland.