2 pros and 2 cons to Sunderland appointing Jermain Defoe as manager | OneFootball

Sunderland will soon have a big decision to make over the managerial role at The Stadium of Light.

Following the sacking of Mick Beale back in February, Mike Dodds was placed in interim charge of the Black Cats until the end of the season.

However, it still remains to be seen who will be in charge at The Stadium of Light beyond that point.

One option that may now have opened up for Sunderland with regards to that role, is Jermain Defoe.

The former England international has admitted that has always said he would 'love to' manage the Black Cats.

With there soon set to be a vacancy in that role, these comments from Defoe may give Sunderland something to consider going forward.

So with that in mind, we've taken a look at two pros and two cons to Defoe taking over as manager of the Black Cats, right here.

Pro: Goalscoring Pedigree

A lack of goals from the centre-forward area has been a major problem for Sunderland this season. Between them, Mason Burstow, Nazariy Rusyn and Luis Semedo have scored just three Championship goals this term.

In Defoe though, the Black Cats would be appointing a manager who knew all about how to find the back of the net from that position during his playing career.

Providing that insight for the likes of those young attackers to learn from, could be crucial in helping to get the best out of them, and in turn, ensuring they can supply the goals that Sunderland need to pick up the wins that could eventually earn them promotion.

Pro: Plenty of contacts

Defoe of course, enjoyed an excellent playing career which saw him represent a number of clubs, as well as England, with distinction.

He is also now working as a coach at one of his former clubs, in the form of Tottenham. As a result, through his career on and off the pitch, he will have built up numerous connections with other key figures throughout the game.

That of course, is something that could work to Sunderland's advantage if they were to appoint Defoe as well, by potentially opening the door for additional transfer avenues, that could bring some more useful signings to the Stadium of Light.

While Defoe is now coaching with Tottenham at youth level, his experience of management at senior level is much more limited.

To date, the former striker's only experience has been as part of a four-man management team that briefly took charge of Rangers in 2021. The challenge of being a full time manager out on his own in the Championship would be very different.

Indeed, that is especially the case when it comes to a club such as Sunderland, who will have big ambitions given their size, and may want someone who has already shown they can handle such pressure by themselves.

Con: Never go back

Defoe is of course no stranger to Sunderland, having previously had two spells with the club during his playing career.

In that time, the striker developed an excellent relationship with the club's fans, that make him an extremely popular figure around the Stadium of Light. As others have found out though in football, it is sometimes best not to return to the scenes of such success.

There is no certainty that Defoe will enjoy the same success while managing the club as he did when he was playing for them, particularly given the challenges he might face there. As a result, there may be some concerns about him tarnishing his Sunderland legacy if things do not work out for him should he become manager, which may have some wondering if this would be an entirely sensible move for those involved.

His second spell as a player, which didn't go as planned, could well be a warning to the Black Cats.