Sunderland are looking to bring in a manager at the end of the season with Mike Dodds in interim charge and a coach that left Leeds United in 2022 is being considered.
Sunderland’s major shareholder Kyril Louis-Drefus made the bold decision to sack Tony Mowbray earlier in the season and it backfired, with his replacement Michael Beale lasting just 12 games on Wearside.
Over two interim spells this season, Dodds has actually now managed more games than Beale was able to last in the dugout. Dodds is expected to step back again as Sunderland find themselves a new gaffer.
Will Still’s decision to leave Ligue 1 side Stade Reims in the summer is likely to see a number of English clubs make their move to the bilingual gaffer. But Still is not the only manager considered by Sunderland before the end of the current campaign.
A report from iNews states that a man that left Elland Road back in 2022 after the sacking of Jesse Marsch is also on Sunderland’s radar in the form of 31-year-old Rene Maric, who was Marsch’s assistant boss.
Here is what the report said in more detail about a potential move to Sunderland for Maric:
Sunderland eye Rene Maric after Leeds United exit in 2022
Maric first worked under Marsch at Salzburg before moving to Germany where he worked as an assistant manager at big Bundesliga clubs in the form of Borussia Dortmund and Daniel Farke’s old side Gladbach.
He then moved to Leeds in the summer of 2022 after Marsch had kept The Whites in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth. Maric and Marsch did not last long as a duo with Marsch axed in February 2023.
Red-haired gaffer Still remains favourite to take over after clearing the path for a move to The Stadium of Light after leaving his post at Reims, but Sunderland are considering a move to hire Maric this summer.
What Maric said about Leeds exit, hinted at Marsch disagreement
Maric is now at Bayern Munich, hired as a development coach with the U17 side in November 2023. But he has quickly worked his way up the ladder and is now Bayern’s U19 boss, taking charge of nine games.
Clearly a highly-rated coach and possible manager in the future, Maric is yet to manage a senior game of his own but he does have a glittering CV that includes Dortmund, Bayern, Salzburg, Gladbach and Leeds.
His exit at Leeds was a little controversial in that he hinted at a bit of hostility with Marsch in his parting message, suggesting the American coach would not allow him to implenent any of his ideas.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t contribute more & further as it wasn’t possible to instill some of the different ideas the club envisioned for that great group of highly talented players that surely will be successful in the future. There is no doubt in my eyes.”
Now, he could be off to Sunderland ahead of the 2024-25 season and might even meet Leeds next season if Farke cannot get The Whites back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.