Sunderland are still seeking their replacement for Tony Mowbray and several names have been linked.
Current interim manager Mike Dodds led Sunderland to victory against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, but the Black Cats are still seeking a long-term replacement for Tony Mowbray.
It is thought that owner Kyril Louis-Dreyrus wants a younger boss to come in and complement the youthful ethos at the club currently.
Whilst that has seen the likes of Will Still, Kieran McKenna and Julien Sable linked with the job, the hierarchy on Wearside could do far worse than appointing John Eustace as manager instead.
After being cruelly sacked as Birmingham City manager in October and replaced with Wayne Rooney – an appointment that has since been proven to be a disaster – Eustace became a victim of overachieving at St Andrew’s.
He stabilized a club that was only going one way – towards League One – and established a clearer style.
Since being dismissed by the Blues, they’ve only taken one win from nine Championship matches under Rooney, which demonstrates how terrible that decision has turned out to be.
Although the fans currently want Still to take the reins, he would be too expensive and a major risk considering he has no experience managing in England.
Here are three reasons why Eustace and Sunderland could be the perfect fit…
John Eustace plays an exciting brand of football
After keeping Birmingham in the Championship last term, Eustace was able to recruit players in the summer who aligned towards his progressive and attacking style of football.
Bringing in the likes of Ethan Laird, Koji Myoshi, Cody Drameh and Siriki Dembele, he was able to transform his team into one capable of playing on the front foot.
Tricky wingers Dembele and Myoshi, in particular, provided that excitement in the final third.
Having also been lauded as “terrific” by fellow manager Michael Carrick, Eustace would be right at home working with sensational wide players, Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts.
He hits targets
Expectations were on the floor when he was at Birmingham in the summer of 2022 and he inherited a wafer-thin squad.
Whilst they were expected to be embroiled in a relegation battle, Eustace had the Blues seventh in mid-December, before nine defeats in 11 saw them plummet to 19th.
After recording a 17th-place finish, the Englishman showed that he could get results by working on a shoestring budget.
Although Sunderland aims to earn promotion to the Premier League, with the quality squad he’d inheriting and the drastic increase in budget, Eustace can smash that target too.
There’s youth on his side
Sunderland are on the lookout for a youthful manager to take the reins.
At the age of 44, Eustace is by no means young compared to the managers being linked with the post – like 31-year-old Still – but he is young in the grand scheme of football management.
Given he’s inheriting a squad that are predominantly at the beginning of their careers and are showing positive signs of development, Eustace is on a similar path himself.
He’s at the start of his managerial career which means he has a lot of time to make a name for himself in football.
And there would be no better way to make a name for himself by taking Sunderland back to the Premier League.