Manager linked with Sunderland and Norwich City secures new job | OneFootball

Pascal Jansen has been named as the new manager of Ferencvaros, ending any chance of the Dutch coach coming to England ahead of next season.

The 51-year-old’s managerial career started out with the PSV reserve side, before his first senior role came with AZ in 2020.

During his time with the club, they didn’t finish below fifth in the Eredivisie, whilst they competed well in Europe, which included reaching the semi-final of the Conference League in 2023 before they lost to eventual winners West Ham United.

However, Jansen was dismissed by AZ earlier this year following a poor run, and he had been waiting for his next challenge in the game.

Pascal Jansen had been on the radar of Norwich City and Sunderland

It did seem at one stage as though Jansen could be coaching in England next season, as it had been suggested that he was a candidate for the Norwich job following David Wagner’s departure.

In the end, the Canaries went for Johannes Hoff Thorup, who made the switch to Carrow Road after impressing with FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark in the past 12 months after stepping up from his role as assistant.

After that, there was talk that Sunderland could appoint Jansen, and that seemed a good fit for the Wearside outfit as they search for Michael Beale’s permanent successor.

Jansen had spoken about his willingness to develop and improve players, whilst at AZ he saw several key players sold on, but he was happy to work in that process, which is similar to the strategy that Sunderland have moving forward.

Pascan Jansen named new Ferencvaros boss

Despite that, it was later revealed that Jansen wouldn’t be taking over at Sunderland, but he will be back in the dugout for the upcoming season.

That’s after journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Jansen will take charge of Ferencvaros on a two-year deal.

“Dutch manager Pascal Jansen has just signed in as new Ferencvaros manager in Hungary. Deal valid until June 2026, agreement sealed.”

This move will offer the chance for Jansen to coach in European competitions again, as Ferencvaros are the Hungarian champions, so they will be in the Champions League qualifiers later this summer.

Sunderland fans will watch on with interest

As mentioned, Norwich were keen on Jansen, but they ultimately appointed Thorup, so there is excitement at the club, who will be pleased with his arrival.

But, it’s a different story for Sunderland, who remain without a head coach, and there is a growing frustration among the supporters at the lack of action.

On paper, Jansen seemed a sensible choice for the Black Cats, but the owner clearly wasn’t convinced, or a deal couldn’t be agreed for whatever reason, and we obviously don’t know specific details or just how interested he was in the role.

Nevertheless, Sunderland fans may be intrigued to see how Jansen does with Ferencvaros, and if he does another good job, questions will be asked as to why he wasn’t brought to the Stadium of Light as he ticked a lot of boxes and was available.