Sunderland had a season to forget in the Championship, as Mike Dodds steered the Black Cats to an eventual 16th-place finish under his dismal interim tenure.
It's been a dramatic decline for a side who were competing in the second-tier play-offs just last season with Tony Mowbray at the helm, losing out to Luton Town in the semi-finals after winning the home leg, with Sunderland finishing a dire 17 points shy of the top six this term in contrast.
Losing six games on the trot under Dodds' tenure was a particularly dark point of the season, with a feeling of relief when the campaign was finally over and done with after a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
RelatedWith just one goal mustered up in the entirety of April, it looked unlikely that Dodds would be handed the full-time job at the conclusion of the campaign, and Sunderland will now be searching for a successor who can lift the spirits back up and get results on the pitch heading in the right direction.
With that in mind, who could the powers that be at the Wearside outfit opt for next in the dugout? Here are 10 candidates that have been tipped for the Sunderland vacancy.
|
Next Sunderland manager odds (Sky Bet - selected markets) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Manager |
Current team |
Odds |
|
Will Still |
n/a |
4/9 fav |
|
Liam Rosenior |
n/a |
6/1 |
|
Paul Heckingbottom |
n/a |
9/1 |
|
Bo Svensson |
n/a |
10/1 |
|
Frank Lampard |
n/a |
12/1 |
|
Rene Maric |
Bayern Munich U19s |
12/1 |
|
Slaven Bilic |
Al-Fateh |
14/1 |
|
Steve Cooper |
n/a |
16/1 |
|
John Terry |
n/a |
20/1 |
|
Alex Rae |
n/a |
25/1 |
|
Paul Cook |
Chesterfield |
25/1 |
|
Odds correct as of 28th May 2024 |
||
Former Stade Reims manager Will Still is currently the favourite to take over the reins from a disappointing Dodds, with Sunderland eyeing up the Belgian head coach for some time now.
Still's name was being talked about for the job when the disastrous reign of Michael Beale was put out of its misery before Dodds took on his interim duties, and there are many valid reasons why his name keeps floating about for this vacancy.
Only 31 years of age, Still could be the perfect face to take over and transform this equally raw and young group of players, with his CV in France seeing him take Reims to 11th in Ligue 1 and masterminding a much-talked-about 19-game unbeaten streak.
He could well feel it is time to finally take on the Sunderland job, with the odds pointing in the direction that he's the most plausible Dodds successor out there.
Just sacked from his post at Hull City at the start of May, Liam Rosenior could view this Sunderland vacancy as the best way to bounce back and prove any doubters wrong.
Rosenior managed to catapult the Tigers up to a seventh-placed finish this season just gone, before being somewhat harshly relieved of his duties.
Accumulating 27 wins from 78 games in charge of Hull and only losing 23, Rosenior could want a new club soon to try to kick on after the disappointment of leaving his old side behind.
The first manager with substantial EFL experience on the list, ex-Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom is high up the odds to be Dodds' successor at the Stadium of Light.
As much as his time at Bramall Lane ended on a duff note, with the Blades sitting bottom of the Premier League when he departed, Heckingbottom did manage to steer the Blades to a promotion success and has that on his CV at the very least.
Getting the best out of dynamic attacking talents such as Iliman Ndiaye when in the Blades hot seat as well, who netted 14 goals during his final season at Bramall Lane, Jobe Bellingham could shine even brighter if the former Barnsley manager gets the call to come in.
Another left-field name - who last managed in the German Bundesliga - and high up the odds to become the next Black Cats boss is Bo Svensson, who was previously in charge of Mainz, where Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel kickstarted their respective managerial paths.
Svensson could well fancy relocating to England to replicate this pair's success as well, with Svensson picking up 39 wins for Mainz across 109 games before being given the boot late last year.
If Sunderland can't get a deal over the line to appoint Still, expect an approach for the Dane to be forthcoming.
Related
Frank Lampard may not have had the greatest last few years in management, with the former England midfielder losing his Everton job to Sean Dyche in January 2023, just months after keeping them in the Premier League. That was followed by a terrible return as interim boss at Chelsea, with the Blues ending the 2022/23 season in the bottom half.
However, the Stamford Bridge legend does have experience in the Championship - and a more positive one, at that. He guided Derby County to the play-off final in his only season at Pride Park, only to fall to Aston Villa. Maybe the step back down is what he needs to resurrect his managerial career, and return Sunderland to the big time in the process.
The first manager on this list to still be tied down to a club, Bayern Munich U19s coach Rene Maric knows all too well the dramas of football in England, having been assistant manager to Jesse Marsch at Leeds United for a brief stint.
Away from that association, Maric has garnered a reputation for being an attack-minded coach in Germany, with his U19s side netting 26 goals this season in league action from 11 games.
If the Sunderland hierarchy want to raise the excitement levels, they could well approach the daring 31-year-old, who could well end up being their very own Danny Rohl, who joined Sheffield Wednesday from the Bavarian giants to great success.
Current Al Fateh boss Slaven Bilic also has experience managing in the tough demands of the Championship, having been in charge of West Bromwich Albion between 2019 and 2020 and securing automatic promotion to the Premier League in that timespan.
A nomadic manager who has taken charge of teams from all over the world, including China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia across his varied career, the Croat could jump at the opportunity to return to England with Sunderland.
He could well have an outside chance of being the Black Cats' new boss.
Steve Cooper appears to be a man in demand, which may explain why he isn't higher up this list. Indeed, the former Nottingham Forest boss may well have other suitors lining up for his services, which may mean another stint in the Championship with Sunderland doesn't end up being the most appetising.
However, he took on a similar role when accepting Nottingham Forest's offer and took them up immediately, so it's not totally out of the question if this is a task tailor-made for Cooper to succeed.
This would certainly be a bold move by the Wearsiders, particularly given John Terry, for all of his playing achievements, has no senior management roles to speak of.
Having previously held assistant roles at Aston Villa and Leicester City, he is no stranger to the dugout, but stepping up as a manager would hardly be a risk-free appointment, particularly when Sunderland look like a team desperate for some inspiration.
Alex Rae is another surprise candidate, having last been in the manager's hot seat all the way back in 2016 with St Mirren.
He is more known for being a right-hand man as an assistant manager at many different clubs, and currently occupies first-team coaching duties at Scottish giants Rangers, but was previously also in and around the EFL at the likes of MK Dons, Notts County and Blackpool supporting Paul Ince.
Rae might well be tempted by the spotlight of being the main man again if Sunderland come calling, having exited St Mirren with a respectable 13 wins from 32 games, with a draw even being picked up against his current employers along the way.
The final name from this shortlist of potential new Sunderland managers is Paul Cook, who is an EFL manager once again after winning the National League title with Chesterfield this campaign.
The 57-year-old swept the division aside with ease from the sidelines as Spireites boss, overseeing a 98-point haul with a ridiculous 106 goals bagged from 46 games.
Still, even with his ambitious side potentially pondering back-to-back promotions after returning to League Two, Cook could have his head turned by the allure of the Championship.
He hasn't fared well in job positions higher up the pyramid in the past, with his time at Ipswich Town ending sourly after only winning 14 of his 44 games in charge when the now-Premier League side languished in League One.
With his stock now up again, he could fancy a switch to Sunderland for the chance to test himself higher up the EFL ladder once more.
