A European club are now accelerating talks with a key Sunderland manager target.
The summer transfer window opens for business on June 14th. But Sunderland haven’t even got a new manager or head coach in place.
Michael Beale was sacked in February with 100 days having passed since then, with Mike Dodds overseeing a poor finish to the 2023/24 campaign as interim boss.
Plenty of names have been linked but only a few remains now, with owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus seemingly missing out on more and more managerial targets.
Will Still remains out-of-work, whilst Pascal Jansen is a new name apparently under serious consideration for the job at the Stadium of Light.
Still has been heavily linked with French Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens after it was claimed that he agreed to become the next Sunderland manager.
On Thursday morning, RC Lens announced the departure of head coach Franck Haise.
RC Lens stepping up talks with Sunderland manager target Will Still
Immediately following the departure of Haise at RC Lens, who was quickly appointed head coach at OGC Nice, it’s been revealed that Lens are stepping up talks to hire Still.
European journalist Andres Onrubia Ramos has revealed on X that Lens have accelerated the ‘signing’ of Still.
Ramos adds that Still to Lens is not yet a done deal, but that there’s ‘optimism’ within the Lens camp that Still replaces Haise as head coach this summer.
Do Sunderland stance a chance of hiring Will Still as next manager
It’s looking increasingly likely that Sunderland and Louis-Dreyfus have missed their chance to make Still the next Sunderland manager.
They Black Cats have had plenty of time as well, and whilst missing out on Still doesn’t appear to be for a lack of trying, Louis-Dreyfus may still be kicking himself if Still takes over at Lens.
Even though Still may not be such a favourable appointment among fans after the saga of the last two weeks, missing out on him still gives an air of unattractiveness about the Sunderland job.
There’s a growing sense that the Sunderland job may be more difficult than it appears on the surface given the lack of resources and the difficult in working with so many young players, in such a rigid transfer model too.
Sunderland’s previously long list of managerial targets now seems incredibly short, with Jansen the only name known to be of interest, and to still be available.
He has interest from Panathinaikos though, so Sunderland could yet miss out on him too, and be right back at square one; almost four months after sacking Beale.