Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus may have just been handed a major managerial boost ahead of another appointment.
Sunderland sacked Michael Beale earlier this year and now find themselves without a permanent manager in place, and struggling in the Championship.
Beale kick-started this woeful run of form by draining the confidence and positivity from the players.
The Black Cats now play like a team devoid of confidence, as we saw in their most recent 5-1 defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers on Easter Monday.
Mike Dodds was visibly angry after that defeat and now his chances of landing the permanent job seem to be nil.
Who is in the running for the Sunderland job
A recent report from iNews revealed that there’s three main candidates for the job right now.
Reims boss Will Still is one; he’s been linked with the Stadium of Light vacancy throughout this season and remains a person of interest.
Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl has interest from Sunderland following his impressive turnaround in South Yorkshire.
There’s also an unnamed Belgian coach who’s in the running.
But more recent reports have claimed that axed Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom is top of Sunderland’s wishlist.
Paul Heckingbottom stance on Sunderland job
It’s claimed that Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus views Heckingbottom as the ideal man to lead Sunderland into next season.
And journalist Phil Smith has urged the club to make an appointment before the end of this current season, should the man they want be available now.
Now sharing Heckingbottom’s potential stance on the Sunderland job, Alan Nixon has posted on X:
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus can’t afford to wait for Paul Heckingbottom
Like Smith previously alluded to, if Heckingbottom is the man Sunderland want, then they should act now.
The club have had time to do their research now.
What’s more is that jobs will continue to open up between now and the summer and so interest in Heckingbottom could quickly heat up.
And with this season panning out to be a very average one, bringing Heckingbottom in now and potentially getting some points on the board before summer could do everyone a world of good at Sunderland.
He remains an experienced, promotion-winning boss with Sheffield United, and someone who favours more attacking football too, so he could be the perfect fit for Sunderland.
Tempting him to the club might be expensive for Louis-Dreyfus and co.
But if he’s the man they want then they’ll surely be ready to put some money on the table, and then hopefully back him in the summer as well.