An emerging report from The Athletic has explained why a Premier League manager didn’t want to entertain the Sunderland job this summer.
Sunderland are still searching for their replacement for Michael Beale, now more than four months since he was sacked.
The former QPR and Rangers boss replaced Tony Mowbray at the end of 2024, lasting just 12 games in what was the second-shortest stint of any Sunderland manager.
Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus placed Mike Dodds in charge until the summer, giving himself ample time to find a suitable replacement.
But with the pre-season starting in less than two weeks, Sunderland are yet to find a new manager, and names continue to fall out of contention.
The latest name to do so is Steve Cooper; he was tentatively linked with the Sunderland job earlier this year, though he always seemed like an ambitious appointment for the Black Cats.
On Thursday, Leicester City announced the appointment of Cooper on a three-year deal.
Why Steve Cooper didn’t want to become next Sunderland manager
Cooper left Nottingham Forest in December 2023, ending a six-month period without a job by landing the Leicester City position.
In those six months, Cooper has been linked with a number of clubs in both the Premier League and the Championship.
The Athletic credit Sunderland with a previous interest, as well as Birmingham City, Burnley, Hull City, Norwich City, and Stoke City.
But the same report adds that ‘the danger for Cooper was being typecast as an elite Championship manager’, hence his wait for a Premier League opening.
Steve Cooper case study should worry Sunderland
Cooper’s reasons for not wanting to manage in the Championship are understandable, and a move to Sunderland long looked unlikely anyway.
But his decision to hold out for a Premier League job, or more bluntly, a better job than the ones on offer, should certainly worry Sunderland.
It seems as though Cooper falls into the same group as Will Still and Liam Rosenior; all linked with Sunderland, but all moved on to what they thought was better things for them, albeit with Rosenior falling out of contention for the Burnley job.
The summer months always spring up managerial changes and so whenever Sunderland have someone in contention, said person may be keeping an ear to the ground for new jobs opening up.
So Sunderland have to strike fast at this time of year. They need to find a front-runner or a few and hone in on an appointment before rival clubs swoop in, as has already happened this summer.