Sunderland AFC latest: Jack Clarke “happy”, John O'Shea on vacancy, Ally McCoist suggests Kieran McKenna blueprint | OneFootball

The end of the 2023/24 season is just around the corner, and Sunderland have a lot of work to get on with over the period.

The club are yet to find and/or appoint their next permanent head coach following the sacking of Michael Beale nearly two months ago.

The football that the team were playing before he left certainly didn't indicate that they would challenge for a play-off spot, but the second interim reign of Mike Dodds has confirmed that the Black Cats will only play 46 Championship games this season.

Some of their best players are expected to attract big attention too, and the club will need to put a lot of effort into either keeping hold of them, or getting a good deal for them.

With that in mind, here is all the latest news surrounding Sunderland, compiled together by Football League World.

Jack Clarke's Sunderland stance

Even though the club feel that it will be hard to keep hold of the player in the summer, according to Football Insider, the 23-year-old winger has made his feelings towards the club clear.

Speaking after he won the club's Player of the Year award, he told BBC Total Sport: "I’d like to think I’ve grown a lot during my time here, and it’s due to the fans, due to the club, and due to the players I’ve had around me.

"We’ve had a really good group, and I’ve had really good people to learn from in the last couple of years. So credit to the club.

"Like you said, it could be due to the fact that I’m home or just, obviously, I’m playing football more and whenever you’re playing you obviously feel better, and you only really play your best stuff, I think, when you get a run-in somewhere and you’re happy playing, and I’ve been happy ever since I walked through the doors."

Even though his side have fallen into the mediocrity that is mid-table, he has been far from average this season.

John O'Shea reveals Sunderland managerial vacancy stance

The former Black Cat, who is now in charge of the Republic of Ireland men's team on an interim basis, has said that he would "love" to become the club's manager, but that the club's current model, which is very youth-first, could be an issue.

"When you think I was there for six, seven years," said O'Shea, on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast. "I had an amazing time there and it's an amazing club, it really is. We had an amazing time there and yeah, ultimately I would love to be Sunderland manager.

"It's a tricky one, I spoke to Tony Mowbray when he came into Birmingham about the model they have there with young players.

"It’s a great idea on paper. But you look at Bayer Leverkusen, the first thing Xabi Alonso said was that he needed some experience - and he went and got Granit Xhaka. It's almost his first thought, he needs that central, general take control of things for me.

"You need a mix, having young players in the team and assets to sell on is brilliant, but the cutthroat nature of winning promotion and then staying in the Premier League... you need a blend."

Ally McCoist's Sunderland, Kieran McKenna claim

The former Scotland international, turned pundit and commentator, believes that the Black Cats need someone like the Ipswich Town boss to come in as the next head coach. He said: "Things clearly didn’t work out with Michael Beale and I think Sunderland need their own version of Kieran McKenna at Ipswich.

"He’s done a phenomenal job there. I look at him and wonder whether there’s any other young coaches who could go into Sunderland and galvanise the club.

"Someone needs to take the club forward because the potential there is incredible. They need a good, young, hungry coach who has his own ideas and will be supported by the board."