"Get it done Louis-Dreyfus!" - Sunderland facing potential Danny Rohl, Will Still manager dilemma | OneFootball

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 AFC are still yet to confirm their latest head coach appointment.

The Black Cats have been searching for a replacement for Michael Beale since his February dismissal.

Mike Dodds has been in charge of the team for the remainder of the campaign, with the team sitting 15th in the table going into Saturday’s final round of fixtures.

Sunderland's head coach search continues

Will Still and Danny Rohl have both emerged as front-running candidates to take the reins of the first team squad for next season, according to a report from iNews in March.

Still is currently in charge at French side Reims, while Rohl has overseen Sheffield Wednesday’s rise out of the relegation zone in the Championship this year.

It remains to be seen which of the two candidates is likeliest to take charge at the Stadium of Light, but either could be a potentially exciting appointment.

Still is Sunderland's ideal candidate

Here we ask our FLW writers their verdict on which of Rohl or Still should Sunderland prioritise hiring this summer...

Declan Harte

Sunderland are a club with a lot of potential, and a pedigree of competing in the Premier League, so this should be the immediate aim of their next appointment.

Still has immediate experience working in one of Europe’s top five leagues, even pushing Reims towards European qualification in Ligue 1, and would be an exceptional appointment by the Black Cats.

While Rohl has done extremely well at Sheffield Wednesday, there is less certainty over his ability to step up to a promotion challenger.

Still is one of the sport’s brightest upcoming managers, and it would be a real coup if they were able to bring him in.

Rohl’s public comments have thrown his future with the Owls into doubt, but that kind of public outcry might also turn off Sunderland.

Tony Mowbray made his issues with the Black Cats’ transfer policy clear, which played its role in his eventual dismissal last December.

Meanwhile, Still has welcomed the prospect of taking the step down to the Championship, indicating he could be more patient and willing to take on a long-term project.

Sunderland should be aiming for promotion next year, but that will be tricky whoever they appoint as a number of key players are being linked with moves away.

Still is better suited to this environment, has the better pedigree from his time in France, and his brand of football will be quite attractive for supporters.

If the choice is between these two, then Sunderland are doing well, but Still stands out as the absolute ideal appointment.

Get it done Louis-Dreyfus!

Ben Wignall

In terms of Will Still, even though he's said he'd manage in the Championship for the right club and challenge, you'd have to wonder whether he may now be on the radar of Premier League sides due to the decent job he has done in France.

Sunderland are a massive club in their own right, but Still wouldn't be guaranteed to set the world alight in the Championship, whereas Rohl already has knowledge of the league after being at Wednesday now for over six months.

For Rohl to get Wednesday up and out of the bottom three of the Championship following the disastrous start to the season under Xisco Munoz deserves huge credit, perhaps more than he's getting, and he is clearly getting a tune out of a squad that - on paper at least - isn't the strongest.

With a strong coaching pedigree for the likes of RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich, Southampton and Germany, Rohl looks to be the real deal, but there is a chance that a move to Sunderland - despite their huge fanbase - could be seen as a sideways step.

Rohl is likely to have a stronger relationship with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus than he would do with Dejphon Chansiri though, and sometimes that can make the world of difference.

If Sunderland had the choice between Rohl and Still though, then I'd lean towards Rohl on the strength of how he has managed to turn around an abject Sheffield Wednesday side so quickly, with his coaching abilities perhaps more suited to get the best out of a very young Black Cats squad.