Sunderland have recently suffered another blow in their ongoing search for a new manager.
Liam Rosenior is no longer in contention to become the next Sunderland manager, after he withdrew himself from the running.
Rosenior has turned down the opportunity of a second interview with the Sunderland officials tasked with hiring the club’s next manager.
It’s thought that the former Hull City boss is more interested in becoming the next Burnley manager, following the Clarets’ relegation from the Premier League.
The news on Rosenior comes after long-term Sunderland manager target Will Still opted to join RC Lens instead, after reportedly agreeing to become the next Sunderland manager.
Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman are now coming under serous criticism with the Black Cats having been without a manager since February.
There’s thought to be some unnamed candidates still in the running and in discussions with Sunderland.
Who these names are remains to be seen. But with the club’s shortlist becoming ever short, it could mean inevitable links to one out-of-work manager, and one who’s seemingly desperate for a return to the dugout.
Frank Lampard will surely enter race to become next Sunderland manager
Former England and Chelsea midfielder, and former Derby County, Chelsea, and Everton manager Frank Lampard remains available.
The 45-year-old is one of the bookies’ favourites to become the next Sunderland manager, along with the likes of QPR boss Marti Cifuentes who is well-liked by Sunderland.
Lampard has been without a job since leaving Everton in January 2023. His best stint as a manager came with Derby County in the Championship, whom he guided to the play-off final in 2019.
He left for Chelsea that summer, staying in charge for just six months before taking over at Everton in April 2023, and eventually leaving with just 12 wins in 44 games (27.3% win rate).
Lampard is also in the running to become the next Burnley manager along with Rosenior; the latter isn’t thought to be the leading candidate as things stand.
Lampard is thought to be keen on returning to management this summer and open to managing a club in the Championship.
Would Frank Lampard be a good Sunderland manager
Lampard has certainly endured a bit of a rollercoaster introduction to management, going from one extreme to another when leaving Derby County for Chelsea.
But there’s no denying that he did a good job at Derby County. The Rams arguably defied expectations by reaching the play-off final that season, though Lampard was helped out by having the likes of Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori on loan from Chelsea.
That Chelsea connection is something that Sunderland could capitalise on, though, should they hire Lampard as manager.
The major issue that Sunderland would face in hiring Lampard, and perhaps many other managers now, is that they’d be an underwhelming appointment.
Knowing that Sunderland wanted Still and then Rosenior, before missing out on both, makes clear that whoever the next Sunderland manager is, is a back up plan.
We saw with the Michael Beale tenure that if Sunderland fans aren’t immediately on board with the appointment, it makes it extremely difficult for the manager to get those fans on side.
Lampard’s most recent showing at Everton and his apparent desperation for a return to management doesn’t speak volumes about his credentials.
Given the state of affairs at Sunderland though, and the fact that Lampard is among the bookies’ favourites for the job, we could soon see an inevitable link between the pair.