Kyril Louis-Dreyfus says the search to find Sunderland's next head coach gets under way today - and he is putting no time limit on the process.
The Black Cats are looking for a successor to Lee Johnson, who was sacked on Sunday evening just over 24 hours after the club's disastrous 6-0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers.
With Johnson departing on the eve of deadline day, the club concentrated on transfers yesterday with ex-England striker Jermain Defoe returning to the club and Fleetwood Town midfielder Jay Matete also arriving.
But the task now turns to finding a new boss, and majority shareholder Louis-Dreyfus says the club has been 'overwhelmed' by interest from all over the world in the post.
"Yesterday was the last day of the transfer window so we prioritised the last few signings we made, but the process has started since early this morning," said Louis-Dreyfus, speaking on talkSPORT.
"We'll give it the time it takes to find the appropriate candidate.
"What we are doing is working on it and speaking to many people because we have had huge interest in it [the job] from all over the world.
"We were overwhelmed, to be honest.
"We will do the process diligently to find the right person."
Sunderland have yet to make any announcement regarding an interim or caretaker-manager, meaning it is unclear at present who will pick the team for Saturday's home game against Doncaster Rovers.
Defoe occupied a player-coach role at his previous club Glasgow Rangers before departing Ibrox earlier this month, but Louis-Dreyfus says the 39-year-old has joined Sunderland purely in a playing capacity.
He said: "He joins as a player but he has huge leadership qualities and I'm sure is going to be a big leader in the club.
"It was obviously a tough decision."
Louis-Dreyfus also said that the decision to sack Johnson was not based 'solely' on Sunderland's defeat at Bolton - the club's heaviest ever in the third tier.
He added: "It wasn't a decision that was solely based on Saturday's result, it was an accumulation of a few different things.
"We obviously have no time to reflect too long, we need to get ready for the remaining 17 games and that is the focus right now."
Louis-Dreyfus has not yet been in charge on Wearside for a year but already he has experienced highs and lows, with the club winning the EFL Trophy at Wembley back in March, then losing in the play-off semi-finals against Lincoln in May, and now sacking his first head coach.
"It was not much different at Marseille [the French club where his late father Robert was majority shareholder] and I grew up with it all my life, so I expected it to be like this," he said.
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