Sunderland now look set to miss out on one of their manager targets.
Sunderland are into their fourth month without a manager since sacking Michael Beale in February.
The Black Cats have been heavily linked with a number of names and while it was expected that they would wait until the season has finished, they now remain without a successor almost three weeks later.
Will Still looks the most likely to take the reins at the Stadium of Light though, having left Reims at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
However, recent reports have claimed that the 31-year-old is also in talks with Norwich, who were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by Leeds United.
Meanwhile, Bo Svensson is set to become Union Berlin coach, meaning he is also out of the picture to take over at Sunderland.
Danny Rohl in the ‘final stages’ of contract renewal
Things only get worse for the Wearside outfit, with journalist Rob Staton now reporting that another target is close to agreeing a new contract with his current club.
Staton wrote on X: “Per sources, Danny Röhl and Sheffield Wednesday close to an agreement. Negotiations in final stages.”
Rohl has been ever-present in Sunderland’s search for a new manager, and when it looked like the Owls would be relegated, it seemed he was the most likely candidate.
However, it is believed that the German is eager to stay at Hillsborough if the club can make him some promises and he is now close to putting pen to paper on a new deal.
While it is unclear whether Rene Maric is still in the picture, Svensson and Rohl’s situations surely leave Still as the first choice – if he wasn’t already.
Sunderland have been chasing the former Reims coach since December though and it would be very surprising if he wasn’t the man they were going after.
Should Sunderland be worried about recent sackings?
The current number of sackings could be a concern for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus though, with the likes of Burnley, Hull and Norwich all potentially joining the hunt for a new coach.
All three could provide Still with more appealing transfer funds than Sunderland, and they will all be pushing for promotion next season too.
However, if Vincent Kompany leaves Turf Moor, there have already been rumours that Craig Bellamy could step up to replace him.
Meanwhile, Tim Walter is still expected so succeed Liam Rosenior at Hull.
So Sunderland could still be in luck in their pursuit of Still, but the likes of Rosenior and Paul Heckingbottom could be in the back of the board’s mind just in case.