A reporter has aimed a veiled dig at Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, over his recent manager statement.
Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, and perhaps more so sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, are under growing pressure to finally replace Michael Beale at the Stadium of Light.
If the Black Cats are yet to appoint a new manager by June 19th, it’ll then be four months that the club has been without a permanent manager in place.
Sunderland continue to miss out on key manager targets; Will Still reportedly agreed to become the next Sunderland manager before pulling out, and later taking the RC Lens job.
Liam Rosenior was in talks with Sunderland and set for a second interview with club officials, before then withdrawing himself from contention.
Frank Lampard was speculatively linked on social media, but Lampard is not under consideration at Sunderland, it has now been revealed.
The news on Rosenior and Lampard comes after Louis-Dreyfus said in an official club statement on June 7th that Sunderland were set to appoint a new manager ‘imminently’.
Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus criticised over club statement
Louis-Dreyfus’ statement initially garnered a lot of respect. Fans were hopeful that an appointment was indeed imminent, but that’s not been the case.
Since, Louis-Dreyfus’ statement has come under scrutiny, as has the whole managerial search process and saga.
ITV journalist Simon O’Rourke has now weighed in on the matter, sharing his thoughts on X, with something of a veiled dig aimed at Louis-Dreyfus following that club statement:
What went wrong for Kyril Louis-Dreyfus at Sunderland
Louis-Dreyfus simply had to break his silence on the matter. But the timing of his statement and the words used, mainly ‘imminently’, has caused backlash.
A statement should’ve been made at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, reviewing what was a poor season and giving fans a clear update and insight into the search for a new manager.
Instead, Louis-Dreyfus waited. By the time of his statement, Still was all but confirmed at RC Lens, and Rosenior was now the clear front-runner.
And whilst Louis-Dreyfus may not have been expecting Rosenior to pull out of contention, there should still have been a back-up plan in place.
Like O’Rourke says, there’s a lot of blame that Louis-Dreyfus and co need to take, re the uncertainty that this saga may cause players like Chris Rigg and Dan Neil, and others in demand, and how it may impact on the club’s summer transfer business.
Now, it seems like Sunderland are back at square one, despite reports stating the opposite, given the lack of clarity and the lack of names reportedly in the frame.
This next appointment is crucial for both Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman, with the summer transfer window now open as well.