Sunderland now have a few names apparently on their managerial radar, with some coming from far and wide.
Sunderland sacked Michael Beale last week, placing Mike Dodds in charge until the summer.
But reports have still started to link several names with the Stadium of Light vacancy; Steve Cooper has been tipped to come into the running, Will Still has been identified as Sunderland’s ideal candidate, and Polish coach Marek Papszun has also been mentioned.
More recently though, reports have claimed that former Black Cats boss Alex Neil is keen on a potential return to Wearside, with The Sun saying that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus ‘could make’ a shock return for the Scot.
Alex Neil linked with Sunderland return
It’s said that Neil is open to potentially returning to Sunderland.
The 42-year-old was the man who guided Sunderland to promotion from League One in 2022, then leaving shortly after what was a strong start to the 2022/23 campaign to take charge at Stoke City.
But Neil was sacked at the bet365 Stadium in December, after winning just 22 of his 66 games in charge.
Neil only oversaw 19 total games as Sunderland manager. But he won 11 of them (57.9%), statistically making him the club’s best manager in more than 100 years.
Why Neil return would be a travesty for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus
Right now, Sunderland are at a bit of a crossroads.
The Sunderland owners took a gamble on Beale and it backfired horribly. Now, they’ve had to accept defeat on that front, giving themselves until the summer to make a decision on their next boss.
And whilst the majority of fans are still very much on board with the vision and the journey the club is going on, another poor managerial appointment could really unsettle the fan base.
We saw how it panned out with Beale and whilst the Dodds appointment plasters over some wounds, the club will need to make a decision at some point, and another Beale-like appointment could send the club into meltdown.
And that’s exactly what Neil would be.
Whilst he did well at Sunderland, and whilst he still might have something to offer in the Football League, he wouldn’t have the fans on his side, and that is something that Beale’s tenure showed us is crucial when managing Sunderland.
What’s more is that Neil had a huge summer spending spree at Stoke City which ultimately failed, so whether he really does have Championship credentials anymore is up for debate.
It needs to be a person unknown to Sunderland, though not necessarily unknown; someone who has no previous ties with the club and who would be coming in on a clean slate.
Still seems to be the favoured name among many fans and indeed the club, and if Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman can tempt him to Wearside in the summer, it could make for a very exciting 2024/25 campaign.