Sunderland AFC manager hunt RECAP: Kyril Lous-Dreyfus provides head coach update on talkSPORT after Lee Johnson sacking
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The Black Cats completed five new signings, with Trai Hume, Danny Batth, Patrick Roberts, Jack Clarke and Jay Matete moving to the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland are also set to announce the return of Jermain Defoe, yet that deal can be done after the deadline as the striker is a free agent.
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Hide AdThere have also been some departures, with Tom Flanagan and Aiden O’Brien leaving the club.
But Sunderland still need a head coach following the sacking of Lee Johnson over the weekend.
Here, we bring you all of the latest updates on that front throughout the day:
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Sunderland AFC manager hunt LIVE
Key Events
- Sunderland concluded a deal for Jermain Defoe to return the club early this morning
- The Black Cats are still yet to appoint a new head coach after Lee Johnson’s sacking
- A new favourite for the job has emerged with the bookies
JUST WOW!
Jermain Defoe is officially a Sunderland player once again.
Four-and-a-half years after his departure for Bournemouth in the aftermath of the club’s relegation from the Premier League, the 39-year-old has signed a deal until the end of the season to try and haul the club out of the third tier at the fourth time of asking.
Sunderland and Defoe have been in advanced talks for over a fortnight following his departure from Rangers, and the deal accelerated rapidly on deadline day.
A number of League One clubs were interested in a deal but Defoe was always keen on returning to his former club in a bid to end his career on an emotional high.
Defoe became Sunderland’s fifth and final deal of the January window, after Jay Matete joined from Fleetwood Town for a significant six-figure sum.
The 39-year-old could be in contention for his second debut on Saturday, when Doncaster Rovers visit the Stadium of Light.
