Sunderland's search for a new head coach is finally at an end as the club confirmed the appointment of  48-year-old French coach Régis Le Bris from Lorient over the weekend. 

Le Bris will official take post at the Stadium of Light from July 1 following a number of weeks negotiation between Sunderland and the French club.

Le Bris will enter his third season as a senior head coach, having spent the majority of his non-playing career as a development coach in French academies, most notably with Stade Rennais and Lorient where he achieved success at under-17s and under-18s level.

The Frenchman spent over a decade with Lorient before being handed the first team head coach position in 2022 where he would go on to experience both ends of the spectrum across his two seasons in charge. 

 

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The 2022-23 campaign saw Le Bris make a fine start to life in management as Lorient punched above their weight in France's top division, losing just one of his first 12 games in charge, before a drop off in form saw them finish a respectable 10th place. The expectation on Le Bris was to build on that before a season of disappointment last year which ended in relegation.

It means there is an added risk to the decision made by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman to appoint the 48-year-old, who is yet to experience English football as a coach. 

Le Bris' arrival coincides with the players' return for pre-season testing ahead of their pre-season schedule throughout the month of July before the new Championship season gets under way on August 10.

Le Bris and Sunderland have plenty of work to do between now and then with focus now able to turn towards preparation and recruitment over the coming weeks.

We Are Sunderland bring you a bumper briefing with Matty Hewitt, Joe Ramage, Scott Wilson and Dom Shaw all sharing their verdict on Sunderland's head coach search reaching its conclusion, the appointment of Le Bris and what Sunderland fans can expect heading into the new season and a new era at the Stadium of Light.

You can watch the latest We Are Sunderland briefing below or via our YouTube channel. 

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