Sunderland AFC manager latest: Will Still update, double Danny Rohl issue, Heckingbottom situation | OneFootball

Sunderland's full focus will be on who will be in charge of the first team after their play-off hopes were officially killed after the midweek matches.

Norwich City's draw away at Sheffield Wednesday confirmed that Sunderland were not going to be in the play-offs this season, but, in truth, that reality has been known for some time.

If they fail to win away at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, then the Black Cats will have gone two months without winning multiple matches. Their only victory during that time was away at Cardiff City.

The poor results aren't going to get interim head coach Mike Dodds moved on or force a permanent appointment before the end of the season - that would have happened by now given the results that they have had recently. Dodds is expected to be part of the backroom staff come next season, but there is still a lot of uncertainty about who will be the next permanent head coach.

The club have known since the 19th February, when they sacked Michael Beale, that they were going to have a new boss for the 2024/25 campaign, but a decision on who that will be doesn't seem to be coming imminently.

Football League World has rounded up all the top stories about who will be the next Sunderland head coach.

Will Still update

The young Belgian coach was linked to taking over the Black Cats job when Tony Mowbray was sacked, but the club went down the Beale road instead. Still is the manager of French side Stade de Reims, and he has impressed many since taking over in November 2022.

Sunderland's sporting director, Kristjaan Speakman, recently said that they would be willing to pay a compensation fee to a club in order to get the manager that they wanted, which would be the case if they landed on the 31-year-old being the right man for the job.

French outlet Le 10 Sport have said that Reims have identified a replacement for Still if he were to leave, and that replacement would be former Newcastle United midfielder Habib Beye, who currently manages Red Star - a team in the third-tier of French football.

Paul Heckingbottom continues to be linked

Journalist Alan Nixon previously reported, via his Patreon, that former Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom was top of Sunderland's list of potential next head coaches. He added that the 46-year-old: "ticks the boxes if he is willing to work with the current regime and way of doing things."

This is in reference to the control that Speakman, and chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, have over things like recruitment, rather than the manager leading the charge on that front. They just want someone to coach the players.

Former manager Tony Mowbray's previous suggestions about recruitment, asking for experienced players with more nous to be brought in, following their play-off semi-final loss to Luton Town, fell on deaf ears, according to the Northern Echo.

Speakman also said, when addressing fans at a recent meeting, that the club would be willing to allow the next head coach to bring an assistant coach with them, providing it was an "appropriate" choice, as per the Sunderland Echo.

However, Nixon has now said that Heckingbottom would only be allowed to bring one member to add to the backroom staff, if he were to accept the Sunderland job. Something that might be an issue given the importance of Stuart McCall and Jack Lester during his successful stint at Sheffield United.

Danny Röhl stumbling block

The Sheffield Wednesday boss is someone that the Black Cats are also considering, but, like the former Blades boss, there would be issues regarding backroom staff.

He, too, would want to bring his own staff to work with him, instead of almost entirely using the coaches that are already there, as per Nixon. The journalist added that Sunderland would also have to pay a large fee to the Owls in order to bring him to the Stadium of Light.