It's been an unwanted saga of the summer for Sunderland as their search for a new head coach has made its way into mid-June and the opening of the transfer window.
Sunderland have had almost four months' to narrow down their search and identify a permanent replacement for Michael Beale but, as yet, they continue to draw a blank having seen as many as three prospective options decide their future lies elsewhere away from the Stadium of Light.
Not only has Sunderland's prolonged search now seeped into the beginning of what was already a significant summer transfer window to try and reverse what transpired in the second half of last season after the club won just six games in all competitions since Christmas, it is now seeing an impact when it comes to current players and their negotiations over a new contract.
Both Chris Rigg and Dan Neil have stalled over agreeing long-term deals of late as they wait to see how the club's head coach search develops heading into pre-season, with players set to return to the Academy of Light for testing at the end of the month.
It means Sunderland are heading into the cycle of the new Championship season in a much more difficult position than they would have liked when the 2023-24 campaign drew to a close on May 4.
But how did it get to this point?
We Are Sunderland's writer's share their verdict on the events of the last four months' of Sunderland's head coach search and what comes next:
READ MORE:
- Dan Neil, Chris Rigg and how Sunderland's head coach search is having an impact
- The clock is ticking for Sunderland as patience wears thin
Joe Ramage
When Sunderland's players and staff ambled round a deserted Stadium of Light after the final game of the season on May 4, but for the jubilant few thousand Sheffield Wednesday supporters still rejoicing in retaining their Championship status, there was both a sense of relief and an acknowledgment that the time for improvement would begin as soon as they left the field.
Sunderland, by any standards, had endured a nightmare second half to the season as wins and entertainment evaporated in favour of defeats and apathy. Sunderland not so much meandered towards the finish line, rather they were dragged over it.
The six point buffer to the Championship's relegation zone served as stark reminder as to how quickly the tide can turn in this division and served as a warning shot as to what the club's future could look like if things were not addressed. And yet, almost six weeks on from the final act in the 2023-24 campaign, and nearly four months' on from Michael Beale's sacking, Sunderland are no further forward.
The end of the season felt like the time to address supporters with an acknowledgement as to how the season went awry but, more importantly, how the previous two months' had gone in the club's head coach due diligence. Instead, they waited over a month to address supporters who have seen head coaches come and go in the search.
Will Still, Pascal Jansen and recently Liam Rosenior have all been understood to be either on the brink of a move to the Stadium of Light or held under serious consideration, only to see their futures lie elsewhere. It's frustrating and alarming in equal measure, particularly after majority owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus broke his silence a week ago to suggest an appointment would be 'imminent.' One week on, and all Sunderland have been able to do is scratch another name off the list.
So, where to now and what happens next?
Having crossed the threshold of last season into this season with the opening of the transfer window, the focus is now fully on the 2024-25 Championship campaign which starts in eight weeks' time. Within that time, Sunderland must appoint a new head coach, endeavour to reach an agreement with a number of their key assets such as Dan Neil and Chris Rigg - both who have aired their reluctance to commit their long-term future to the club owing to the current head coach search - as well as develop a squad low on confidence and quality in key areas in order to improve on what has been accepted as an 'unacceptable' 16th place finish.
It feels like a lot, and while not insurmountable, there is quite rightly some huge reservation.
The immediate issue is the head coach appointment. Having cycled through a list of names, Sunderland must draw a line under one name and go out and get them - the future of Rigg in particular may depend on it.
Marti Cifuentes is now the leading candidate to take over at the Stadium of Light after talks with Rosenior broke down, but Sunderland will need to muster up a compensation package for the Queens Park Rangers boss - something they were either unable or unwilling to do with first choice candidate Still back in December and with Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl following the end of the season.
Rohl's reported compensation fee was around £5million which meant the German always felt an unlikely candidate, despite being a one of huge potential.
At this stage of proceedings, however, for the club to go out and pay compensation and poach a head coach from another club seems like it would be the best first move to make in building bridges with supporters by virtue of it exhibiting some signs of intent which have been lacking.
The Spaniard did an excellent job in guiding Qpr to safety after Gareth Ainsworth's disastrous tenure and has admirers elsewhere in the Championship. But having seen other candidates distance themselves from the vacancy, there are no guarantees Cifuentes would take the role either. Beyond that, Sunderland's list of candidates drifts into those who are yet to be disclosed, of which there is an understanding there remain 'more than one.'
It feels as though things are getting pretty desperate, and the club know they can't afford to take much more time over their decision. Cifuentes may not have been the initial first choice candidate, but the time to act is now.
Predicted appointment: Marti Cifuentes
READ MORE: Marti Cifuentes, the 'three P's' and why Sunderland are right to be interested
Matty Hewitt
Sunderland are approaching the four-month mark following the sacking of Michael Beale on February 19, and the search for a new head coach is still ongoing. The club thought they had their man in Will Still, only for him to turn them down at the 11th hour in favour of taking over the reins at Ligue 1 side RC Lens.
While on paper it would have been an exciting appointment, I get the feeling that it wouldn’t have been plain sailing. The Belgian head coach has spoken out about the recruitment at previous club Stade de Reims, and with Sunderland’s recruitment model coming under scrutiny from previous head coaches, ex-players and supporters, it’s a fair assessment to say the two parties would have locked horns at some point in the future.
In fact, it was the noise coming out of his camp that gave us an indication as to what some of the stumbling points have been with this current search for a head coach. Although Sunderland have refuted those claims, he raised concerns about the make-up of coaching staff and budget at the Black Cats, something supporters have all mentioned in recent weeks and months.
READ MORE:
- Will Still confirmed as new head coach of RC Lens - ending Sunderland interest
- Pascal Jansen land new role after Sunderland interest
So, to ‘plan B,’ or ‘C,’ whatever we’re on now. Pascal Jansen appeared to be a decent match - on paper at least - for Sunderland’s vision, but he was ruled out of the running last weekend. AZ Alkmaar’s model of bringing talent through and selling for profit was almost a match made in heaven, which made it all the more surprising when news broke of Jansen no longer being in the running.
Liam Rosenior’s recent withdrawal from proceedings has done nothing to quell any unrest among the red and white faithful. To be blunt, the search has dragged on for long enough. Every time a manager is ruled out of proceedings, the list of candidates in the public domain diminishes. Sunderland are still in talks with unnamed prospective head coaches, and while they’ve done well to keep things under wraps, it’s not doing them any favours when it appears that they’re running out of options. That may well not be the case, but that’s the perception online at least.
With questions over the club’s short and long-term vision, the Black Cats hierarchy know they can’t waste any more time. A head coach with a background in developing young talent, while having promotion on their CV, should be the blueprint for the new head coach. What that means in a practical sense, is anyone’s guess.
Predicted appointment: An unnamed candidate.
Dominic Shaw
How did we get here?
How, 116 days into the search for a new head coach, do Sunderland find themselves in this situation?
The grim final day defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday was supposed to draw a line under a campaign that veered so dramatically off course.
The mood desperately needed lifting and a swift appointment of a new head coach would have helped to turn the attention to the future rather than reflect on the horrors - on and off the pitch - of last term.
And yet here we are, with the start of pre-season fast approaching, and with Sunderland surrounded by even more uncertainty and instability.
Leading candidates having gone elsewhere and the club's brightest lights stalling on contract talks - in such a pivotal summer where renewed hope was so desperately needed, there's instead growing anger and more and more questions about the plan, the 'model'.
What happened to having potential head coach candidates lined up well in advance as we were told was the case when Francesco Farioli was linked at a time when Sunderland were soaring?
That now feels an eternity ago.
And with the transfer window opening, all of this uncertainty will surely have an impact on Sunderland's business. For all Sunderland are still a huge pull because of the club's stature, history and fanbase, footballers crave stability.
So what happens now? For the first time in a while there's no clear favourite for the role. Marti Cifuentes is admired but has current employers. There are, we are told, still candidates who've been longstanding targets but whose identity has been kept under wraps by the Black Cats. But if they were truly fancied, wouldn't they have been appointed by now?
And what do candidates now make of the fact it's so clearly obvious they weren't at the top of Sunderland's head coach wishlist?
An imminent appointment was Kyril Louis-Dreyfus's hope a week ago. And yet the search goes on. What and who comes next is more unclear now than it's ever been since Michael Beale's disastrous tenure was brought to an end.
Predicted appointment: Unnamed candidate
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