Sunderland appear to have made significant progress regarding the appointment of their next manager, with "talks" now underway with one prime candidate.
Sunderland manager updates
The search for the Black Cats' new boss continues, with nearly two weeks passing since Tony Mowbray's time as manager came to an end. To some, it seemed like a harsh decision, considering the 60-year-old guided his side into the Championship playoffs last season, while a repeat of the same this time around is also far from out of the question.
Chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus was among those at the top at Sunderland who clearly felt that a change was needed, however, and it is now vital that the right successor is brought in as the 26 year-old seeks a young, hungry tactician. A number of names have been thrown into the hat since Mowbray's sacking, with Kim Hellberg one of the first individuals to emerge as a contender, but rumours of him heading to the Stadium of Light have cooled as time has passed.
Hugely impressive Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is another potential choice, but he could be hard to get, while young Reims manager Will Still has also been spoken of as a front-runner to take over from Mowbray.
Sunderland in "talks" with 4-2-3-1 coach Will Still
Writing on X, journalist Ed Aarons claimed that Sunderland have held "positive talks" with Still over the vacant manager's position at the club.
"Understand that Sunderland chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has held positive talks with Will Still over the vacant manager's post. He is hoping to persuade the 31-year-old to leave French side Reims."
Meanwhile, an update from The Telegraph's Luke Edwards also suggests that an agreement between Sunderland and Still could be close:
"Will Still has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Tony Mowbray as Sunderland’s head coach although it remains far from certain he will accept the job.The Championship side are understood to have interviewed as many as seven people for the vacant position, including Swedish coach Kim Hellberg and Frenchman Julien Sable, the assistant manager at Nice.
"Hellberg, though, is on the brink of becoming the new manager of Hammarby according to reports in his homeland.As a result, it is thought Sunderland’s sporting director, Kristjaan Speakman, believes Still is the best fit for the club’s business model."
These two updates certainly suggest that Still is now the favourite to become Sunderland's next manager, and if that does prove to be the case, he could be such an eye-catching appointment.
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Only 31 years of age, the Englishman has been in charge at Reims since last year, starting life as manager with a 14-game unbeaten run, which highlights his ability. He could bring fresh ideas with him to the Stadium of Light, although he still generally adopts a 4-2-3-1 formation like Mowbray did, so that shouldn't be too much of a change for the squad, hopefully making the transition as seamless as possible.
There is always a risk element in bringing in such a young and relatively unproven manager, but it would be refreshing to see Sunderland choose Still, rather than an ageing boss who has been around the block.
