Sunderland’s manager search has been thrown into further chaos after the club’s latest twist.
Sunderland seem to have been close to appointing four or five different managers since the season came to an end.
The club had a lengthy shortlist to get through, while it initially seemed very obvious that Will Still remained their top target.
The Belgian eventually turned Sunderland down to go to Lens, before Pascal Jansen became the favourite. The Black Cats really got their hopes up there, before they were brought crashing down when it was confirmed that the club were no longer interested in him.
The only logical explanation for this was that they favoured someone else, and that is when Liam Rosenior’s name came along.
After all the hassle, it looked like the 39-year-old was going to be the one to take up the hot seat – but, of course, Sunderland needed to add more mayhem to the situation.
It was reported earlier today that Rosenior has now pulled out of the running to become Sunderland manager, following on from yesterday’s claims that he was set for talks with Burnley too.
This leaves Sunderland in a disastrous position, while supporters are wondering how many managers can possibly be left on their ever-growing shortlist.
With time and patience rapidly running out, Sunderland need to find a new head coach fast.
Here are three managers they should now look at…
Three remaining managers for Sunderland to consider
Marti Cifuentes
Marti Cifuentes seems to be the only remaining manager left on the shortlist that has been mentioned in the past couple of weeks, but likely to be the hardest to lure to Wearside too.
The Spaniard saved QPR from relegation last term and is highly-rated at Loftus Road, but will cost Sunderland six-figures if they are to snap him up.
Cifuentes could be one of the best candidates for jobs, with many eager to see him join instead of Rosenior.
However, itwould be a huge surprise if he even wanted to come to the club given the turmoil they are going through. He is likely very content in the English capital and would have to be crazy to want to move to Sunderland now.
Paul Heckingbottom
Paul Heckingbottom’s name has been thrown about for months now, but it’s unclear how the club are feeling about him.
They would have surely pursued him a lot harder by now if they wanted him at the club, given that he has been out of work since leaving Sheffield United in December.
The 46-year-old does have two promotions under his belt though and could be well suited to the job.
There has definitely been much better options out there that the club have missed out on, but they clearly can’t be too picky now.
Scott Parker
Scott Parker has barely been mentioned for the Sunderland job, but is another name who is reportedly on Burnley’s radar.
The 43-year-old is another manager out of work, having been sacked in March after a disastrous spell at Club Brugge.
Parker has only been in management for five years, but has managed two promotions with Fulham and Bournemouth.
Their squads were significantly stronger than Sunderland’s though, so it is up for debate whether the former midfielder will have the necessary resources to bring success back to Wearside.