Next Sunderland manager: Bayern Munich youth coach linked, Jermain Defoe reveals talks

Sunderland’s home game with Sheffield Wednesday in the season finale on Saturday lunchtime is expected to be the final time Mike Dodds takes charge of the team with a new manager incoming.

The Black Cats have been searching for a successor to Michael Beale, who was sacked in January after just 13 games in charge at the Academy of Light after replacing Tony Mowbray. Dodds was handed the job on an interim basis following Beale’s dismissal with Sunderland expected to appoint a new man at the end of the season.

And with the season coming to a close, fan attention will again turn to who the next manager will be ahead of a key summer of recruitment as well. Several names have already been linked including Will Still and Paul Heckingbottom. The latest name linked over the weekend in the foreign media was Bayern Munich’s current U19 boss, Rene Maric.

It’s understood there has previously been talks with Maric when Sunderland had been looking for a manager last season but nothing is understood to be close this time round. Training Ground Guru, who interviewed Maric earlier this year to discuss his career in the game to date, reported on Monday afternoon that no talks had yet taken place this time around. The 31-year-old has previously worked at RB Salzburg, Borussia Monchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund plus a spell in the Premier League when he was part of Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United first-team coaching set-up.

Jermain Defoe provides update on Sunderland manager hopes

Jermain Defoe has held informal talks with Sunderland over the vacant head coach position - but admitted he hasn’t been officially interviewed for the role.

Speaking to the media last month at the launch of Jermain Defoe Academy at East Durham College, the current Tottenham youth coach expressed his desire to return to the club for a third time as head coach after two previous stints as a player on Wearside.

“I've had no interview or anything like that,” Defoe exclusively told The Echo when asked if he had spoken with Sunderland regarding the job. “And like I said before when we spoke, I spoke about obviously the people that want to come with me and even in the background, certain players that I know that I can attract, young top players in the country that I can attract to try and get the club back into the Premier League.

“I've had those sorts of discussions. So nothing's changed really, but I've not had an interview. I went to the Leeds-Sunderland game and just watched the team and stuff like that. So that's it.”

What has Mike Dodds said about the Sunderland role?

“One thing that I've realised in this position is every word is going to be scrutinised,” Dodds said.

“Everything that comes out of my mouth, whether it's negative or positive, will be scrutinised, but if you're genuine and authentic and honest, that goes a really long way with this supporter base. I've always tried to do that. I've never tried to shirk any questions, I've always tried to be the best version of me and not try to be anything I'm not.

“Whoever that person is has to show their genuine authentic self. I've always said all the Sunderland fans want - and I think the Leicester game was an example and I spoke to the players about it after the game. Ok, we lost the game but the majority of the fans stayed in the stadium because they could see a group that has given everything. I'd like to think I've done that as head coach. I've worked extremely hard to try and squeeze as much as I can out of the group.

“Whoever comes into this position, I said it previously when I took over from Tony, they're coming in to a good dressing room, they're good guys, they've given me everything up to this point,” he added.