While Sunderland fans await any news of another signing this month, the club has now confirmed Mike Dodds is moving on for pastures new.
Sunderland’s acquisition of Enzo Le Fee at the start of the month remains a bright spot for the club in the transfer window.
The Black Cats also just announced Wilson Isidor has signed permanently after a successful loan spell, bit now, Regis Le Bris’ will be looking for a new face to add to his Sunderland coaching staff.
That’s because Mike Dodds, his assistant coach and former caretaker manager at Sunderland, has signed on the dotted line to become the new manager at League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers
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Mike Dodds will become new Wycombe Wanderers manager
Speculation emerged over the weekend that Dodds was in line for the vacancy at Wycombe, who had lost Matt Broomfield to Luton Town earlier this month.
Now, the club has confirmed that Dodds has agreed to make the move, and Kristjaan Speakman commended the coach on getting the opportunity he deserves.
Speakman said: “Although it’s disappointing to lose such a valuable member of staff, this is an incredible opportunity for Mike to take the next step in his career. He’s fulfilled several roles during his time with us to support the pursuit of our ambitions and he has always done so with great professionalism.
“We would not have made the progress we have over the last four years without his contribution. On a personal note, I’ve worked with Mike for over a decade, and I’m delighted that his dedication to his craft has culminated in this opportunity.”
Dodds himself described his time at the Stadium of Light as an “honour” and praised the “vision” those at the top have for the club’s future. He also celebrated the “unmatched” supporters for their “support and passion” during his time on Wearside.
He added: “The club is in a strong place and I have no doubts that Regis will lead it to even greater successes alongside an incredible group of players, whose unwavering professionalism and desire to improve meant every day was a privilege.”
Le Bris can lean on Mike Dodds vs Middlesbrough, and special relationship could continue
That’s the bad news out of the way, but there are positives for Sunderland to take from this. First of all, we know that Dodds will not be leaving the club until after Monday night’s crunch match against North East rivals Middlesbrough.
Hopefully, Le Bris and Dodds can pull off one last win together as Sunderland look to exploit the weaknesses in Michael Carrick’s team in the upcoming fixture.
While Dodds will not be joining Wycombe until after that game, it will be interesting to see whether any last-minute deals can be struck between the two clubs. Perhaps we will see some Sunderland academy stars securing loan moves to League One before the transfer deadline?
If not now, then we will surely see some business carried out between Sunderland and Wycombe in the summer. All that remains is to see where Dodds and his new team will be playing next season, as the Sunderland fan-favourite looks to secure promotion and immediate success there.