"I've already heard" - Pundit makes Danny Rohl claim as Sunderland eye Sheffield Wednesday boss | OneFootball

Danny Röhl has cemented his place as one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the EFL, and that sort of reputation is going to attract attention from higher up the leagues, as Sheffield Wednesday are now finding out.

Prior to his arrival at Hillsbrough, the Owls looked destined for a return to League One after just the one season back in the Championship.

Xisco Munoz came in to fill the hole that had been left by former manager Darren Moore, and Munoz was quickly sacked after a shocking start to the season.

Bringing in Röhl was a big gamble.

The 34-year-old had never managed a team before; the only coaching positions that he had held prior to his move to Yorkshire were as the assistant manager of the German national team, and as a member of the backroom staff at both Southampton and Bayern Munich.

The gamble has certainly paid off. Although they are still in the bottom three, Wednesday are within touching distance of safety with eight games to go.

What he's done in his short time in the second tier has attracted the attention of other clubs, one of them being Sunderland.

They are currently without a manager for the 2024/25 season, after sacking both Tony Mowbray and Michael Beale this season. Former assistant boss Mike Dodds currently holds the interim head coach position, but he will, in all likelihood, be replaced in that role in the summer. They may announce that they have decided on their next head coach prior to the end of the season, but they will not begin the role until after the end of the current campaign.

The i have reported that the Black Cats are interested in the Wednesday boss, as well as an unnamed Belgian target.

Former Owls midfielder Carlton Palmer has revealed his thoughts on the interest that the 34-year-old is receiving.

Carlton Palmer on Danny Röhl's links to the Sunderland job

Speaking to Football League World, Palmer said that he has been very impressed by the job that the German boss has been able to do, and he can see him leaving before the start of next season, if he isn't given the tools to succeed.

Palmer said to FLW: "I've said this several times, Danny Röhl has done a fantastic job after coming into Wednesday. I think he will keep them up. He has galvanised the club, he's got the players playing for him, and I really do feel that he will keep them up. I thought that they were dead and buried, and the job that he has done has been brilliant.

"Röhl has already spoken about the things that need to be put in place to move the club forward, whether it be the training ground, the dressing room, Hillsborough. If these things are put in place, and then he's not given the tools to strengthen the side in the way that he would like, then I think he and his backroom staff will be well coveted and well sought after.

"He will need to be backed by the owner if they want to keep him, and I've already heard one or two rumblings about that. So it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Röhl were to keep Wednesday up, and then move on to pastures new."

Danny Röhl would be a smart appointment for Sunderland

The whole recruitment ethos of the Black Cats, at least on the playing side, is about bringing in youthful talented players. This caused frustration for the likes of Mowbray, who wanted to expand their search to look for some more experienced players when he was in charge, but Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman have firmly stood by their approach.

Results haven't lived up to pre-season expectations, but they seem set to stick to their guns about how they want the club to be run. That would naturally lean towards someone like Röhl being an obvious candidate. He's a young, talented coach who has shown that he can maximise the output of his players. That's what Sunderland need, but the potential lack of control over transfers may come as a red flag to the German coach.