‘If I was a betting man’… Michael predicts who next Sunderland manager will be

Journalist Michael Graham has predicted who he thinks the next Sunderland manager will be.

Sunderland are now in the final stages of the search for a new manager, after owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus‘ message revealed so.

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

Out of work, experienced, and already well-liked by Sunderland fans online; hiring Jansen would certainly make up for the past three moths of uncertainty.

But hiring any manager whether he’s in work or not is always easier said than done, especially so with Panathinaikos liking Jansen.

Panathinaikos have already been rejected my Maurizio Sarri and now have former Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez, as well as Jansen, on their shortlist.

If Benitez is also unwilling to take the job, it could mean that Panathinaikos put all their focus on Jansen, which could be bad news for Sunderland as the Greek side can offer European football next season.

If Sunderland want to hire Jansen, they simply need to act fast. That said, the Will Still saga has shown us that Louis-Dreyfus shouldn’t put all his focus on hiring one manager, so expect the likes of Rosenior to remain in contention until the end.