Kristjaan Speakman has promised Sunderland fans an update 'shortly' on the club's search for a new head coach, amidst reports that Chelsea's Anthony Barry is a contender along with early favourite Tony Mowbray. At 5pm last night confirmation came that, as revealed by ChronicleLive on Friday, Alex Neil had left Sunderland to take charge of their Championship rivals Stoke City.
Neil was given permission to talk to Stoke on Friday but in reality his mind was already made up, with the Black Cats unwilling or unable to match the contract on offer at the bet365 Stadium. And as part of yesterday's statement that rubber-stamped Neil's departure, sporting director Speakman said the search for a successor had already begun.
"The process to appoint a new head coach is underway and we will provide a further update to our supporters shortly," he said.
READ MORE: Sunderland confirm Alex Neil has left the club to take over at Stoke City
Former Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, and Celtic boss Mowbray was being heavily linked with the job on Saturday, with Sky Sports going so far as to say they understood he would become the club's next boss. But, while Mowbray is one name under consideration, ChronicleLive understands that nothing has been agreed as yet.
And yesterday Chelsea's first team coach Anthony Barry was mentioned as a possible alternative. Barry, 36, joined Chelsea in 2020 and had previously spent three years as assistant to Paul Cook at Wigan Athletic, and is highly rated within football circles.
He also spent a year combining his duties at Chelsea with a coaching role within the Republic of Ireland setup, before leaving Ireland in February to become a part-time member of the coaching staff with Belgium under Roberto Martinez. MK Dons boss Liam Manning is another name that has been added to the mix, after he led that club to a third-placed finish in League One last season before losing to Wycombe in the play-off semi-final, with Sunderland ultimately going on to beat Wycombe at Wembley and secure promotion.
The problem from Sunderland's point of view is that both Barry and Manning are currently in work, and that means they would likely have to pay compensation to their present employer. That would not be an issue with Mowbray, however, who left Blackburn at the end of his contract in the summer.
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