The Sunderland owner, who is facing increasing scrutiny along with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, claimed earlier in June that an appointment was imminent.
Since then, long-term target Will Still has taken charge of RC Lens, and Liam Rosenior has withdrawn from the running to become Sunderland’s next manager.
This leaves the Black Cats without a clear front-runner for the job. However, reports indicate that Sunderland is keen on QPR manager Marti Cifuentes, who would require a six-figure compensation fee.
Cifuentes joined QPR midway through the 2023/24 season, leaving Swedish Allsvenskan side Hammarby, and led the team to an 18th place finish in the Championship.
Sunderland urged to pay compensation for QPR manager Marti Cifuentes
It was previously revealed that Sunderland and Louis-Dreyfus were unwilling to pay the compensation fee for Will Still when he was at Reims.
Reports suggested that any club wanting to take Still from Reims would have needed to pay over £4 million in compensation.
In contrast, reports indicate that appointing Cifuentes, who is reportedly under contract at QPR until 2027, would require only a six-figure compensation fee.
Although the exact figure is unknown, journalist Alan Nixon has urged Sunderland to “start acting like a big club” and pay the compensation fee for Cifuentes.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus may need to break the Sunderland mould
Sunderland has certainly endured darker days in recent years, including four seasons in League One and significant financial struggles.
Currently, the outlook is much brighter. However, ongoing uncertainty about the next manager could jeopardize the progress made by Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman in recent years.
Louis-Dreyfus has transformed Sunderland into a more financially stable club, as evidenced by their latest accounts. The team also boasts valuable assets, with players like Jack Clarke likely to move on this summer.
Now might be the time for Louis-Dreyfus to take decisive action and invest in Cifuentes. This would be a more economical choice compared to Still during his tenure at Reims. Cifuentes has a solid Championship record, having managed 33 games with QPR.
Such an appointment would likely be well-received by Sunderland fans, a crucial factor for Louis-Dreyfus following the fallout with Beale. As Nixon points out, Sunderland is a big club and needs to act like one in the coming weeks.
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