This 49-year-old manager is reportedly open to taking the Sunderland job, following Michael Beale’s exit.
Sunderland have named Mike Dodds as interim boss until the summer following the departure of Beale on Monday.
Since, several names have been linked with the Stadium of Light vacancy ahead of the summer, including Reims boss Will Still and former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper among others.
Another name linked is Polish coach Marek Papszun.
The 49-year-old was most recently in charge of Polish outfit Rakow Czestochowa whom he took from the Polish third tier to the top flight title during his seven-year stint, winning four domestic cups along the way as well.
Marek Papszun open to taking Sunderland job
Papszun left Czestochowa last year and has been out of work since.
But emerging reports in Poland (via Sport Witness) say that Papszun is keen on leaving the country to explore his potential opportunities in coaching, and that he would be ‘open’ to exploring the possibility of taking charge of Sunderland in the summer.
Yesterday it was claimed that Papszun was keen on speaking to the Sunderland owners regarding the vacant manager’s position.
Papszun didn’t have a career as a player but has certainly made a name as a manager in Poland.
He’s managed right down in the sixth tier of Polish football and at the top, earning five promotions with three different teams and being named Polish Manager of the Year three times (2020, 2021, and 2022).
Papszun keen, but he might not fit the profile
Papszun has certainly made a good CV for himself, with several promotions and cup wins, all stemming form very humble beginnings in his native Poland.
And it would of course be a big step up to now take on the Sunderland job, though the Black Cats do take risks on players from overseas and have been widely reported to want a manager from overseas, so this link does seem to have a bit about it.
But it boils down to whether Papszun matches the Sunderland profile.
What exactly that is remains to be seen, but it could be very safe to assume that Sunderland want a coach who’s good at developing younger players.
Papszun left Czestochowa last year, but he left the club with an average squad age of 24.9 years; which isn’t old at all, but is nothing compared to Sunderland’s 22.6 years right now.
Again, it would be a huge step up for Papszun and after seeing how the relatively inexperienced Beale fared at the club, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman might think twice before hiring someone with little-to-no experience of the English game.