The Sunderland trend that Régis Le Bris could change after brilliant first season discussed..
Régis Le Bris has the chance to end Sunderland’s significant managerial turnover after a superb first campaign on Wearside. That was the view of Phil Smith and BBC Radio Newcastle’s Sunderland AFC commentator Nick Barnes, speaking a the first ever live episode of On The Whistle last week.
The pair took questions from fans at The Bridge Hotel Vaults last Thursday, and Le Bris was a big talking point throughout the evening. One fan asked if given the level of interest in Sunderland’s playing squad in the aftermath of promotion, supporters might be concerned about clubs taking a keen interest in Le Bris’s progress.
“Le Bris loves it here,” Phil said.
“I think from his perspective, he feels like it’s the perfect role. I think there are lot of head coaches who might not love the way Sunderland operate, they might like a bit more control and influence over certain things. I think he likes the set up here because it allows him to focus on what he loves, which is coaching, training… And he has a big say in recruitment, let’s have that right. He’s a very, very powerful voice in that process and I think the signings of Wilson Isidor and Enzo Le Fée last season showed that. He’s been waiting for a long time for an opportunity like this, he started learning English two years ago. It was the right time for him personally to make this move. He seems to really like the region – his dog loves the beaches here! I’m sure promotion means a little boost to his contract, which has two years still to run. He’s really bought into and studied the history of the club. You never know but he really enjoys being here.”
Barnes added that while ambitious, Le Bris was clearly comfortable on Wearside and enjoying the role he has.
Vulcano’s appointment would be something of a coup for the club, as he had offers to head into management himself. He brings significant experience of top-level football, having worked with Stefano Pioli at Inter Milan, Fiorentina, AC Milan and most recently Al-Nassr. Vulcano started out as an analyst but more recently worked as Pioli’s assistant manager. The 37-year-old is expected to join providing all administrative procedures are completely successfully.
Sunderland’s players return for pre-season testing on Friday, before pre-season starts in earnest on Monday.
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