Lee Cattermole has held talks with Sunderland over joining the club as a coach.
That’s according to the Sunderland Echo, who have reported that the former midfielder was considered to take up the role as the under-18 head coach.
Cattermole became a fan favourite after spending ten years with the Black Cats, in which he won the North East Football Writers’ Association’s Player of the Year award in 2014 and made a total of 262 appearances.
The 35-year-old left Wearside to join Dutch club VVV-Venlo in 2019, before announcing his retirement the following year.
Cattermole was later appointed lead coach of Middlesbrough under-18s side but has been without a permanent job since leaving that role last February.
Sunderland are currently on the hunt for a new youth coach after Adam Asghar joined Southampton this summer and were eager to consider Cattermole as his replacement.
The report claims that Catts and the club held ‘brief conversations’ over his arrival, however the two parties have mutually agreed not to move forward with their negotiations.
The Black Cats have several candidates under consideration and will make their decision in due course, however Cattermole won’t be returning to Sunderland anytime soon.
Lee Cattermole will never be forgotten at Sunderland
Lee Cattermole was easily one of Sunderland’s most loved players during his long spell at the club, despite him spending most of time during a very dark period that saw us relegated all the way to League One.
The midfielder was the perfect example of a passionate, hard-working player that loved the club – and we didn’t have many of those at the time. He was one of a few that really cared and that’s why he stuck around for so long, while the likes of Lamine Kone and Didier Ndong threw their toys out the pram.
It’s refreshing to look back at Cattermole and realise how many players we actually have now with a similar mentality. The likes of Pierre Ekwah, Dan Neil and Luke O’Nien genuinely want to be here and it’s a huge reason why things are looking so exciting for the club’s future.