The under-fire Black Cats owner revealed via a message on the club’s official X page that Sunderland are now nearing a managerial appointment, after more than three months without a permanent boss in place.
Though who the next Sunderland manager will be remains to be seen; the likes of Pascal Jansen and Liam Rosenior appear to be the front-runners as things stand.
Stockport County boss Dave Challinor and St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson were briefly mentioned before their links were then played down.
Alan Nixon is also claiming that QPR boss Marti Cifuentes is a late contender for the Sunderland job, after he steered the R’s to Championship safety last season.
Now, journalist Graham has predicted who he thinks the next Sunderland manager could be.
Michael Graham thinks Pascal Jansen could be the next Sunderland manager
Jansen, 51, has emerged as a strong contender over the past few days; he’s been out of work since January after spending little over three years as manager of AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie.
He’s either worked with, or studied alongside, the likes of Liverpool boss Arne Slot and Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag in the past.
London-born Jansen also achieved 5th place finishes or higher in the Eredivisie with AZ, with whom he oversaw 162 games, winning 94 (53.81%).
Jansen appears to be a favoured managerial appointment among Sunderland fans on social media and now Graham has tipped the him to become the next Sunderland manager, albeit speculatively.
What Sunderland need to do to make Pascal Jansen their next manager
Currently out of work, experienced, and already popular with Sunderland fans online, hiring Jansen could certainly compensate for the last three months of uncertainty.
However, recruiting any manager, whether employed or not, is always challenging, especially since Panathinaikos is also interested in Jansen.
Panathinaikos has already faced rejection from Maurizio Sarri and now has former Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez, along with Jansen, on their shortlist.
If Benitez also declines the position, Panathinaikos might fully focus on Jansen, which could be problematic for Sunderland as the Greek club can offer European football next season.
For Sunderland to secure Jansen, they need to move quickly. Nonetheless, the Will Still situation has demonstrated that Louis-Dreyfus shouldn’t concentrate solely on one candidate, so figures like Rosenior are likely to stay in contention until the end.
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