The Black Cats are still looking for a permanent manager.
As the end of the season and decision time regarding a permanent new manager looms, Sunderland have reportedly identified a former Premier League boss as their top target.
Sunderland manager latest
The Black Cats should be the first to admit that replacing Tony Mowbray with Michael Beale was the wrong call. The former Rangers boss came in with Sunderland gunning for the play-offs but left with their promotion hopes in tatters. Since appointing Mike Dodds on an interim basis, Sunderland have been left waiting for a frustrating campaign to reach its end in the Championship.
In search of a new permanent boss, names such as Steve Cooper and even former manager Roy Keane have been mentioned, albeit without either coming close to taking the role.
Cooper, having been out of a job since being sacked by Nottingham Forest, knows all about Championship promotion and is certainly a solid option for the Black Cats. Keane, meanwhile, would be quite the wildcard, given that his last managerial position came at Ipswich Town in 2011.
So, instead, those at the Stadium of Light look set to look elsewhere. According to reliable journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon, Sunderland have made Paul Heckingbottom their top target to succeed Dodds this summer. The former Sheffield United boss previously spoke to the Black Cats about their vacancy before Beale took the role and could now finally get his chance to step into the dugout on Wearside.
Nixon claims that as long as Heckingbottom is happy to work with the current set-up, Sunderland’s current way of doing things and some of their current staff, then he will be their top target. A manager who reportedly ticks all of Sunderland’s boxes, Heckingbottom may well find himself back in the technical area this summer.
