Potential barrier emerges for Sunderland in QPR manager pursuit | OneFootball

Sunderland will have to fork out a hefty compensation fee if they are to appoint Queens Park Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes, according to Alan Nixon.

The Black Cats' managerial recruitment process is dragging on and on, much to the frustration of some of their supporters.

Although some are frustrated, others are now past caring after seeing the club take months to appoint a permanent boss, with Mike Dodds only taking temporary charge following Mick Beale's departure.

It was clear throughout Dodds' tenure that he wasn't the right man to take permanent charge of the Wearside outfit just wait, which has made the wait for a new manager all the more frustrating for the fans.

Plenty of names have been linked with the top job at the Stadium of Light, but some have already gone on to manage different clubs.

Bo Svensson, who was previously linked with the job, has gone on to be appointed Union Berlin's new manager and Will Still hasn't put pen to paper on a deal on Wearside either.

Pascal Jansen has also held talks with the club, but it seems as though he is the latest man to drop out of the race, which has only further increased pressure on some of the Black Cats' key figures.

Kristjaan Speakman and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus came under fire at times last season - and this latest managerial saga wouldn't have done anything to improve their standing on Wearside.

Latest on Sunderland's managerial situation as potential Marti Cifuentes barrier emerges

It's no surprise that Cifuentes has attracted interest considering how well he did at Loftus Road last term - and the R's will be compensated if he goes - with the Black Cats needing to fork out a six-figure fee if they are to have any chance of luring him away from the English capital.

With the QPR boss popular among key figures at the SoL, he looks to be one of the leading candidates to take the job, although it's unclear whether he would be open to this switch.

Liam Rosenior is another potential candidate and he has been interviewed, but he isn't too desperate to take a job at the moment and is comfortable biding his time.

Others, including Dave Challinor and Stephen Robinson, have also been linked.

Sunderland could benefit from recruiting Marti Cifuentes

Cifuentes did a remarkable job at QPR, managing to turn things around following Gareth Ainsworth's departure.

On paper, their league finish doesn't seem all that impressive, but the R's had been in decline ever since the latter stages of Beale's time at Loftus Road.

And they were in relegation danger for much of the season, so to secure safety was a big achievement.

Already doing well at this level, he could be a decent appointment at the SoL and he is definitely someone worth pursuing.

The Black Cats probably wouldn't hesitate to spend six figures on a player, so they shouldn't hesitate to do that with a manager too.