Sunderland have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Danny Rohl.
Sunderland finally brought their disastrous campaign to an end with a final day defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
The loss meant that the Owls avoided relegation and were to stay in the Championship for another season, with Danny Rohl credited for a huge turnaround at the club.
The German’s success at Hillsborough had attracted interest from Sunderland, who have been on the hunt for their new permanent head coach since Michael Beale was sacked in February.
The Black Cats had been heavily linked with the Owls boss, and he was expected to leave the club if they were relegated.
However, the Yorkshire outfit appeared positive that they could keep hold of the German after confirming their Championship status at the Stadium of Light.
Why Danny Rohl is now likely to stay at Sheffield Wednesday
While Sunderland could well still be looking to appoint Rohl in the coming weeks, they have now suffered a huge blow in their pursuit.
According to journalist Alex Miller, Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri has now held ‘positive’ initial talks with Rohl.
He also reported for The Star that there is a ‘strong expectation’ that he will still be at Sheffield Wednesday this summer, with his contract set to expire in 2025.
Rohl’s position at Hillsborough is still likely to depend on the assurances that Chansiri can make, with the transfer kitty a real problem at the club in recent years.
It is believed that he also wants improvements to be made at their Middlewood Road training ground, as well as possible additions to his backroom staff.
While Chansiri could still fail to make promises to the ‘fantastic‘ 35-year-old, it does seem unlikely that Rohl will make the move to Wearside.
Rene Maric could be Danny Rohl 2.0
It does feel like Sunderland had already accepted defeat in their pursuit of Rohl since their defeat to Wednesday though.
There has been plenty of talk around Will Still since he confirmed he was leaving Reims this summer, while rumours were circling after Rene Maric and Mike Dodds both followed each other on Instagram.
Rohl still seems like the perfect appointment for the Black Cats, but it isn’t the end of the world if he chooses to remain where he is.
Maric does feel like Sunderland’s own version of the Wednesday coach, having ended his playing career early and spending the last nine years as a very young coach in both Germany and England.
The 31-year-old has worked with some brilliant managers and players and could now look to take his first step into management in the Championship, following Rohl’s footsteps.
It does feel like a bit of a risk for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, but one that most supporters would certainly back.