Sunderland have been without a manager for more than three months now. But it may be time to end their ongoing pursuit of Will Still.
There’s suggestions that Sunderland have been without a manager for so long because owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is dead set on hiring Will Still.
But Still is torn between two clubs, Sunderland and RC Lens, seemingly preferring one club and then the other with each passing day.
Sunderland simply can’t afford to wait any longer, and if Still comes in now after all the noise and controversy of the past few months and weeks, he may well arrive with some making up to do among the fan base.
Expect the Black Cats to have a few irons in the fire as pressure mounts on Louis-Dreyfus and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman to finally hire a replacement for Michael Beale.
New names continue to come in and out of the running to become the next Sunderland manager; Raphael Wicky had fleeting links, whilst former AZ boss Pascal Jansen is now an emerging candidate.
But one name they’ve not been linked with, and likely have not considered yet, is Lincoln City boss Michael Skubala.
Who is Michael Skubala
Skubala, 41, is a former PE teacher who currently manages Lincoln City in League One.
He began his coaching career as U21s boss with Leeds United, later working his way up to first-team coach before landing the Imps job in 2023.
Taking charge in November, it would be a slow start for Skubala. But his Lincoln side quicky burst into life, going on to finish in 7th place of the table, missing out on a spot in the top six on the final day of the campaign.
Lincoln were in 16th when Skubala took charge. What was most impressive though is how Skubala managed to get a previously misfiring side, firing.
The Imps scored 65 goals in League One last season and 45 of them came under Skubala, with the Imps even scoring 16 goals in the space of seven days in March.
Why Michael Skubala could be a good fit for Sunderland
The thing that might stand out most here is Skubala’s focus on attack; the Imps were like a new team under Skubala, who allowed them to play with freedom and to play further up the pitch.
Skubala donned a 3-5-2 formation and placed a lot of faith in his midfielders to get on the ball and drive forward, and to get further up the pitch in general.
The Imps boss often played more attacking players deeper on the pitch in order to give Lincoln City that attacking focus from deep, with two strikers on the pitch more often than not.
Those two strikers penned in opposition defences and Lincoln were able to sky rocket up the table, going on a 16-game unbeaten run which ended in April.
Although not an exotic Still or Jansen-type appointment, Skubala knows the Football League and knows youth football from his previous experience with Leeds, which would of course be ideal with a very youthful Sunderland side.
He remains inexperienced, but so too is Still who Louis-Dreyfus is really keen on. Skubala also shares a similar career path to Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna, who seems to have really set the mould for clubs when hiring new managers.
If Sunderland hire Skubala, who’d need a compensation fee with his Imps contract running until 2027, they could be hiring their own version of McKenna.