Sunderland next manager: Former Sheffield United, Leeds United and Barnsley boss among favourites

Former Sheffield United, Leeds United and Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom is among the favourites to become Sunderland’s next permanent head coach.

At the Stadium of Light, Mike Dodds is in charge of first-team operations on a temporary basis through the end of the season. Having wielded the axe twice this term, the Black Cats are under pressure to make sure their next choice is the right one.

After Tony Mowbray was fired in December, the team hired Michael Beale, a former Rangers manager, to take over as manager. Beale’s time in office was brief, as he was let go last month.

Heckingbottom is rated at 9/2 to become Techopedia’s permanent leader and is one of the leading candidates for the position. The 46-year-old hasn’t had a job since Sheffield United fired him in December, when the Blades were in the midst of a Premier League survival struggle.

Paul Heckingbottom was axed by Sheffield United in December 2023. Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images

Chris Wilder, a guy who had previously guided the Blades to promotion in both League One and the Championship, took over for him. He hasn’t been able to stop the slide, though, and Sheffield United is still facing relegation to the second division.

Heckingbottom, who formerly played for Barnsley and Leeds, has been involved in the media since his departure and has been frank about his time at Bramall Lane.

Speaking this month, the former Sheffield United manager asserted that once the team was promoted to the top division in 2023, they had lost their identity. He stated: “I look at how someone like Luton has gone on – to try and build on what you’ve been doing really, really well. Luton has recruited in a similar fashion to try and build an identity, and they have managed to keep their squad together.” Because of our financial issues at the club, we felt as though we had lost our identity.

Only Steve Cooper and Will Still sit above Heckingbottom in the list of favourites, priced at 3/1 and 4/1 respectively

Read more on https://sportupdates.co.uk/

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*