It’s been a fairly chaotic 24 hours or so for Sunderland, following the departure of Tony Mowbray.
It was a somewhat unexpected departure.
Mowbray was never the long-term answer for Sunderland, but given their steady league position and their strong 2022/23 season, many thought he would be given a bit more time.
But the Sunderland owners have taken their chance to dismiss Mowbray and go in search of a younger, more contemporary coach who can deliver their vision for the future.
With several names in contention, we’ve rounded up the latest on the Sunderland manager front…
Will Still and Julien Sable emerge as front-runners for Sunderland job
It appears that Sunderland have two early front-runners for the job in Reims boss Will Still, and former Saint-Etienne and Nice assistant Julien Sable.
Still has gained something of a cult following online after making his name in European football, previously citing the Football Manager video game series as an inspiration behind his route into coaching.
Sable meanwhile has earned his reputation in French football but is yet to hold a manager’s position of his own.
TalkSPORT though have claimed that a stumbling block with Still is how much compensation Sunderland would have to pay Reims.
Kieran McKenna in contention at Sunderland
Elsewhere, Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been outed as a potential target for Sunderland.
Reports have claimed that the former Manchester United coach is under consideration after his impressive stint with Ipswich Town, but that he’d be an ambitious appointment for the Black Cats.
It’s also reported that former Cardiff City, Leeds United, and Middlesbrough defender Sol Bamba is an outside candidate for the job, despite having never managed before.
Lampard tipped, Warnock and McCarthy keen
Veteran duo Neil Warnock and Mick McCarthy are apparently keen on the Sunderland job, but unsurprisingly, neither are likely to get a look-in.
iNews say that the Black Cats are more likely to scour the European market for a new boss, with Michael Graham saying that Sunderland will utilise analytics in their search.
And talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan quickly suggested that Frank Lampard would relish the opportunity to take charge of Sunderland, saying:
“If Frank Lampard wants to do something then a football club of the size and stature of Sunderland, with the opportunity to rebuild. That would be an interesting job wouldn’t it?”
Sunderland take on promotion hopefuls West Brom at the Stadium of Light this weekend.