Confirmed Deal in talk: Sunderland eyeing up bring a very good treble manager
Following their separation from former manager Michael Beale over a hundred days ago, Sunderland is still looking for a new permanent head coach.
Mike Dodds will fill in for the former Rangers strategist for the remainder of the Championship season after the Black Cats fired him earlier this year.
But in the last three months, they have been unable to locate an English coach’s replacement, and as of the upcoming season, they still need a permanent manager.
They have reportedly, though, narrowed down their shortlist of potential candidates to three managers, which suggests that progress is being made.
Sunderland eyeing up former Eredivisie boss
According to Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, former AZ Alkmaar manager Pascal Jansen is one of three names in the final frame to land the job at the Stadium of Light.
The reporter claims that St. Mirren chief Stephen Robinson and Dave Challinor, who currently manages Stockport County and just won League Two, are the two other men in the running.
Since Hansen is currently the only one of the three without a job, the Black Cats may find him to be the most appealing choice because they wouldn’t have to pay him a fee to sign him.
If Sunderland can work out a deal to lure the English strategist to Wearside ahead of Robinson and Challinor, they may be able to appoint a manager that current star midfielder Dan Neil would enjoy.
Dan Neil’s fondness for performing for Pascal Jansen
The 51-year-old manager, whose play was described as “exciting” by journalist Brian Wijker, usually starts in a 4-3-3 configuration with one anchor and two free-wheeling, box-to-box players.
During the 2022–2023 season, Jansen’s final full season at Alkmaar, he used box-to-box play to bring out the best in centre midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.
| Stats | Tijjani Reijnders (22/23 Eredivisie) | Dan Neil (23/24 Championship) |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 34 | 42 |
| Goals | 3 | 4 |
| Assists | 7 | 5 |
| Key passes per game | 1.8 | 1.1 |
| Dribbles completed per game | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| Tackles + interceptions per game | 2.7 | 2.7 |
The Dutch manager used his countryman as an efficient number eight who could provide goals, assists, dribbles, tackles and interceptions at both ends of the game, as the above table illustrates.
It’s also evident that Neil’s ability to create both in and out of possession provided Sunderland with comparable attributes in the middle of the park.
Reijnders’ performance for Alkmaar in the 2022–2023 season won him a summer 2023 move to Italian powerhouse AC Milan for €20 million (£17 million), presumably because of the excellent platform Jansen’s 4–3–3 system gave him.
Milan expressed interest in the young player after he flourished in the Eredivisie in the middle of the park thanks to the Dutch manager’s two box-to-box midfield roles.
Since he could use his athleticism and quality in and out of possession to succeed as one of the two number eights in the 4-3-3, Neil could now enjoy playing for Jansen for the same reason.
He could help the English youngster to take another leap forward by making more key passes and dribbling more to show off his ability in transition, as Reijnders did, to put himself in the shop window for a bigger move in the future.