A former Championship boss and Premier League assistant has failed to rule out a potential interest in the Sunderland job.
Sunderland sacked Michael Beale at the start of this week. The owners have since placed Mike Dodds in temporary charge until the summer, where an appointment looks set to take place.
Several names are being linked; Steve Cooper could come into the running whilst Will Still is being linked with the Sunderland vacancy as well.
But another former manager who may not have come into the thinking of many yet is Mark Warburton.
The former Brentford, Rangers, Nottingham Forest, and QPR boss is out of work after leaving his assistant role at West Ham last year.
Mark Warburton fails to rule out potential Sunderland interest
Appearing on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Warburton was discussing the Sunderland saga, and was hypothetically asked if he’d take the Sunderland job, if he were offered it.
Warburton gave neither a yes or no answer, instead responding with:
“If you can’t see the potential at Sunderland, as a manager or coach… It’s a massive club. Great fan base. Anyone who gets that job right will be in for a fantastic ride.”
Warburton took Brentford out of League One in 2014, eventually leaving the club with a 51.3% win record, then going to Rangers where he won the Scottish Championship and League Cup in 2016, leaving with a 65.9% win record from 82 games.
His Forest spell was less successful, lasting just 37 games with a 40.5% record, though it’s his stint at QPR which Warburton may be best remembered for, especially now.
QPR are toying with relegation now, but in three seasons at Loftus Road between 2019 and 2022, Warburton achieved 13th, 9th, and 11th place finishes and was well-liked among fans, with a win record of 37.3% from 150 games.
A good manager, so why not Warburton
Warburton has a good CV and his stints with Brentford, Rangers, and QPR are perhaps under-appreciated; especially his most recent spell with QPR where, with largely the same set of players the team has now, he achieved consistent mid-table finishes.
And Warburton left his coaching role at West Ham last year to look for a more ‘senior role’ in football; whether that means as a sporting director, which he’s done in the past with Brentford, or as a manager once again, remains to be seen.
In the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast as well, Tim Sherwood outright said ‘no’ when asked if he’d hypothetically take the Sunderland job, whereas Warburton gave a more cryptic answer, which might suggest he’d be open to talking to the club should they be interested in him.
Warburton might not be the glamourous, Will Still-type of coach that fans and indeed the club seem keen on. But he’s certainly a steady pair of hands and a manager who favours attacking football as well, so if not Sunderland then another Championship club could definitely benefit from hiring Warburton.