Sunderland may have one manager coming back into contention very soon, after the latest development at Burnley.
Both Sunderland and Burnley are without a manager as we start edging towards the 2024/25 campaign.
Burnley will join Sunderland in the second tier next season following their relegation from the Premier League.
Despite that, former Clarets boss Vincent Kompany would leave Turf Moor and land the Bayern Munich job earlier this summer.
Sunderland meanwhile have been managerless for more than four months now after sacking Michael Beale in February this year.
The Black Cats looked they like had a replacement lined up in Will Still before he pulled out of the running, soon landing the RC Lens job.
Then it looked like Sunderland were closing in on Liam Rosenior; he would also pull out of the race, with Rosenior wanting to pursue the Burnley job instead.
Liam Rosenior to Burnley latest
Rosenior was axed by Hull City at the end of last season, despite guiding the Tigers to a 7th place finish in the Championship.
He’s been linked with the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Sunderland, and Burnley, though it seems as though the Clarets are eyeing former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Reports in the Netherlands go as far as saying that van Nistelrooy, who was PSV manager up until May 2023, is close to taking charge at Turf Moor.
That would leave Rosenior without a club. But the former full-back is clearly keen on a return to management and clearly keen on managing in the Championship.
Sunderland though must avoid a return for Rosenior, should he miss out on the Burnley job.
Sunderland must avoid Michael Beale repeat with Liam Rosenior
There’s a lot about Rosenior that may set him apart from Beale; his likeable and warm demeanour for one, and his Championship experience for another.
Beale’s main footfall as Sunderland manager was the fact that fans didn’t warm to him; neither as a person or as a coach, with some of his comments in the media only serving to widen the gap between himself and supporters.
And after Rosenior backed out of the Sunderland job to pursue a perceivably bigger and better job, him possibly coming back into Sunderland contention after missing out on Burnley would only serve to create a Beale-like divide between Black Cats fans and manager.
Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman are surely getting desperate in their manager search now, and bringing Rosenior back into contention doesn’t seem totally unlikely.
But should it happen, Sunderland fans may lose every bit of remaining respect and dignity they have in club officials right now.
There would also be something of a bitter taste towards Rosenior, which may set him off on the backfoot before he even starts.
Sunderland can avoid a Beale-repeat by avoiding a possible return for Rosenior, should he miss out on the Burnley job.