Sunderland and owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus have been told to ‘start acting like a big club’, amid the ongoing managerial fiasco.
Sunderland remain without a manager after parting ways with Michael Beale on February 19th.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has had almost four months to find a replacement, yet it seems like the Black Cats aren’t close to hiring a new manager.
The Sunderland owner, who is coming under increasing scrutiny along with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, claimed earlier in June that an appointment was imminent.
Since, long-term target Will Still has taken charge of RC Lens, before Liam Rosenior then pulled out of the running to become next Sunderland manager.
It leaves the Black Cats without a clear front-runner for the job. But it’s said that Sunderland are keen on QPR manager Marti Cifuentes, who would require a six-figure compensation fee.
Cifuentes arrived at QPR midway through the 2023/24 season. Leaving Swedish Allsvenskan side Hammarby, the Spaniard steered the R’s to an 18th place finish in the Championship.
Sunderland urged to pay compensation for QPR manager Marti Cifuentes
It was previously revealed that Sunderland and Louis-Dreyfus were unwilling to pay the compensation fee for Still when he was at Remis.
Reports suggested that Sunderland or any other club wanting to take Still from Reims would’ve needed to pay more than £4million in compensation.
Reports say that Cifuentes, who is reportedly under contract at QPR until 2027, would only require a six-figure compensation fee.
The exact figure is not known. But journalist Alan Nixon has now urged Sunderland to ‘start acting like a big club’, and pay the compensation fee for Cifuentes.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus may need to break the Sunderland mould
Sunderland have certainly seen darker days in their recent history. The club spent four years in League One and has witnessed some extremely difficult financial times too.
Right now, the picture is much rosier. Although, this ongoing uncertainty over the next manager could undo all the good work by Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman in the last few years.
Louis-Dreyfus has certainly made Sunderland a more stable financial outfit, as proved in their most recent accounts.
The club also has some very valuable assets within the playing squad with some like Jack Clarke looking likely to move on this summer.
But now might be the time for Louis-Dreyfus to bite the bullet, and dip into his pocket for Cifuentes.
It’s a much cheaper option than what Still was when he was at Reims. Cifuentes also boasts a good Championship record, albeit having only overseen 33 games with QPR.
It’s also an appointment that seems as though it would go down well with Sunderland fans, which after the Beale fall out is something Louis-Dreyfus will be eager to see with this next appointment.
Like Nixon says, Sunderland are a big club, and they need to act like one in the coming weeks.