Potential new Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris could oversee some wholesale changes on Wearside this summer.
Sunderland have gone well over 100 days since they had a permanent manager in the dugout at the Stadium of Light.
Contenders for the job Liam Rosenior and QPR boss Marti Cifuentes both didn’t materialise, despite earlier in June Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus releasing a statement claiming that a head coach appointment was ‘imminent’.
Sunderland have now seemingly found their man and are likely to announce Frenchman Regis Le bris as their new manager for the 2024/25 Championship season.
The 48-year-old’s experience comes in the form of two successive Ligue 1 seasons with FC Lorient, the latter of which saw his side relegated.
The Lorient manager will reportedly waste no time in making changes at the club, with a prominent Sunderland staff member potentially set to be affected after three years at the club.
Regis Le Bris update could spell bad news for Mike Dodds
Le Bris’ appointment is set to lead to a wider restructure of the coaching staff, per Fabrizio Romano.
Le Bris will be looking to bring in Lorient no.2 Igno Goetze this summer, which could leave current interim head coach Mike Dodds surplus to requirements.
Dodds took over from Michael Beale in February following his dismissal, however was unable to turn the tide of the season as the Black Cats finished in 16th place.
In his 13 matches in the 2023/24 Championship season he managed just two wins, leaving Sunderland just six points off the relegation zone.
Dodds has been a part of the Sunderland coaching set-up ever since he joined from Birmingham City in August 2021.
Has Mike Dodds shown enough to be part of Sunderland plans
Dodds arrived on Wearside with a formidable CV, having overseen the development of England star Jude Bellingham during his time at Birmingham City, as well as the likes of Demarai Gray and Nathan Redmond who he had worked with since he joined back in 2009.
The 38-year-old’s track record with youth products could prove to be helpful in the long run, with the average age of the Sunderland squad being just 23.
However, the appointment of Le Bris undoubtedly calls for a clean slate, something that Dodds is likely to not be a part of, especially with the news of Goetze joining the Lorient manager.
The shaky form under Dodds since he took over from Beale certainly won’t fill the new manager with confidence, and any coaching set up under Le Bris may likely not include the current Sunderland caretaker manager.