Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has been warned that he is putting Sunderland in ‘danger’ after 120 days without a manager.
Sunderland don’t appear to be any closer to appointing a new manager after missing out on Liam Rosenior.
The 39-year-old looked the most likely to take up the hot seat on Wearside, before pulling out in favour of the Burnley job.
It is unclear whether Rosenior will even move to Turf Moor this summer, but it has still left Sunderland in absolute chaos.
The club have insisted that they have a number of unnamed candidates on their radar, but it has been worryingly quiet in recent days, while rumours of Frank Lampard’s arrival were quickly shut down.
Former midfielder Carlton Palmer has now criticised the club and has admitted they could be ‘in danger’.
Sunderland are in a ‘very worrying’ position
Speaking to Football League World, Palmer said: “Sunderland have been linked with every man and his dog for their vacant manager’s job.
“Like I’ve said before, I’m repeating myself week in and week out.
“It must be very worrying for supporters that still, to this day, that they haven’t been able to secure the services of a head coach.
“Frank Lampard will obviously be desperate to get back into the game, but he won’t want to get in under the terms that Sunderland want the head coach to work under; not being able to bring your own staff, not being able to sign the players you want to sign.
“Frank is desperate to get in work, but I can’t imagine Frank working under those circumstances.
“It’s a fantastic football club, Sunderland, it’s well supported, it’s got good young players, and I’m telling you now they’re in danger of losing their players.
“They’ve got players under contract for two or three years, but they’re in danger of losing their players in the summer, because they certainly won’t be renewing their contracts until they know who the head coach is going to be and if they’re going to be able to work with that said head coach.”
Sunderland are in big trouble if they end up with an unhappy dressing room
Sunderland’s one positive this summer is that they have no key players out of contract, while it is only Chris Rigg whose scholarship deal expires in 2025.
The Black Cats are under no major threat of losing their players for free, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t in big trouble if players begin to lose interest and entertain interest elsewhere.
Rigg and Dan Neil have already made it clear they won’t put pen to paper on a new contract until they discover who the new manager will be.
But that doesn’t mean if Sunderland appoint a new head coach tomorrow then all will be fine – they still have to get the appointment right too.
If someone like Dave Chanillor was announced as the new manager tomorrow, fans certainly wouldn’t expect it to be an arrival that would convince Rigg or Neil to sign the contract.
If the players don’t believe in the manager and what the club are promising them, then they will begin to turn and will want to leave.
Given how happy and committed our team have seemed in recent seasons, it would show just how drastically the club has fallen in a very short period of time.