A move to Sunderland could now be ‘tempting’ for a ‘highly regarded’ coach approaching the end of his contract.
Sunderland‘s pursuit of Will Still looks to have finally been brought to an end as he closes in on a switch to Lens.
The 31-year-old only left France last month, departing Reims with three games left to play.
It was believed that he could leave Ligue 1 to pursue a career in English football, having previously admitted that he would be happy to manage in the Championship.
However, reports have claimed Still has now pulled out of a move to Wearside due to concerns about investment.
He now looks likely to join Lens, who finished four points ahead of Reims.
With Still seemingly off the table, the Black Cats have been forced to look elsewhere after already surpassing 100 days without a manager.
Rene Maric could be the Will Still alternative
It is now believed that they could turn back to Rene Maric, who they had been linked with back in April.
It had since been claimed that he would be promoted from the U19s coach to Vincent Kompany’s assistant manager, however FCBinside have now reported that a move to Sunderland ‘could be tempting’.
The report states that the Wearside outfit view Maric as the ‘ideal candidate’ and Maric is intrigued by the possibility of being able to ‘bring his ideas to the big stage as the main person responsible’.
Having joined the German giants’ youth team in November, Bayern are now eager to keep hold of Maric, whose contract expires in July.
It could well be down to the 31-year-old what his next step is though, and could run down his contract if he decides to move to the Stadium of Light.
While Sunderland could get a deal in place with the Austrian, supporters could potentially be forced to wait until July to welcome Maric to the club.
With both pre-season and the transfer window set to kick off in June, a possible July arrival could prove problematic for the club’s plans.
Sunderland could have their own Danny Rohl
Maric’s time working as assistant coach with the likes of Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Leeds United could prove really beneficial to Sunderland.
Like Danny Rohl, who could now take advantage of his relationship with Hansi Flick, the Black Cats could find themselves a new avenue in the transfer window.
Rohl’s success makes the possibility of appointing Maric even more intriguing, as he could potentially follow the same path as the Sheffield Wednesday coach.
It is arguably a more exciting pursuit than the Will Still one, but fans will know not to get too caught up in it, as nothing is done until it’s done… and even then it feels like it could still go wrong with Sunderland.
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