“Underwhelming” - Sunderland would be taking a chance if 48-year-old is named as new boss | OneFootball

Regis Le Bris would be a bold appointment for Sunderland if he was named as Michael Beale's successor.

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sunderland’s managerial search remains ongoing, with Lorient boss Regis Le Bris potentially the latest candidate.

The Black Cats endured a hugely disappointing campaign last time out, which ultimately saw them finish 16th in the table as they failed to sustain a push for the play-offs.

Tony Mowbray was harshly dismissed by the Sunderland board in December, with Michael Beale named as his replacement, but he lasted just two months.

Since the ex-Rangers chief departed in February, the club have been on the lookout for his successor, as Mike Dodds was in the dugout for the remainder of last season on a caretaker basis.

Regis Le Bris could be on Sunderland’s radar

A whole host of managers have been linked with Sunderland in the past few months, but, despite owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus claiming on June 7th that an appointment would be ‘imminent’, they remain without a head coach.

Many of the supporters are hoping for a quick resolution, and some fans will have noticed that Lorient boss Regis Le Bris is now featuring heavily in the betting to take over.

Of course, bookmakers' odds have to be taken with a pinch of salt, but that has had some talking about whether he would be a good choice.

The 48-year-old’s only senior job has been with the French side, and he enjoyed a successful first season as they finished 10th in the top-flight. But, this season was difficult, as Lorient were relegated to Ligue 2.

Sunderland would be taking risk with Le Bris

So, would he be a good choice for Sunderland? Here our writers share their thoughts…

Chris Gallagher

This would be a risky move.

A year ago, Le Bris was highly-rated after guiding Lorient to a 10th place finish in Ligue 1 on a modest budget in comparison to many of their rivals. Plus, he did so by playing an attractive brand of football.

However, fast-forward 12 months, and Lorient have been relegated to the second division, so it would not be the eye-catching appointment it once was.

Given some of the names that Sunderland have been linked with, such as Will Still and Pascal Jansen, the fans may understandably feel that this is underwhelming.

That’s not to say that Le Bris wouldn’t do a good job, and he does fit Sunderland’s profile in terms of his ability to develop young players, and he would build a team that plays stylish football.

But, the Black Cats need to be more than that, and whoever is in charge next season will be tasked with winning promotion, or at least having the team firmly in the mix for the play-offs, and I’m not sure Le Bris is the man for that.

After months of searching for Beale’s long-term replacement, questions will surely be asked if Le Bris is the one that the hierarchy opt for.

Alfie Burns

Le Bris' stock has fallen since we saw him linked with the Leeds United job before Daniel Farke's appointment and that means that this would be a risk for Sunderland after a poor 12 months.

Sunderland's managerial search has been going on for some time now and, when a decision is made, the club are going to be wide open to criticism if it's not an appointment that's easy to get behind.

It might sound harsh to dismiss Le Bris at this point, but if he arrives, some Sunderland supporters are going to be asking serious questions as to why he's a target now given the season he's overseen in France.

Of course, he can work with young talent and play decent football, which suits the Sunderland model. That's not something supporters are too willing to hang their hat on at the moment, though. You get the sense they want a more inspiring option to be leading them into 2024/25.