The former Sunderland, Rangers and Aston Villa man is being linked with a move to Cardiff City

Former Sunderland and Rangers head coach Michael Beale has been linked with a return to the EFL.

A report by EFL analysis states that Cardiff, who were relegated from this season’s Championship, are focusing their search on a primary managerial candidate, with Michael Beale poised to make an unexpected return to English football following his recent stint in Saudi Arabia.

The website says “sources” indicate that Beale is currently the frontrunner for the role at Cardiff this summer, although the club is still evaluating several other candidates. The recruitment process is being managed by the Wasserman agency, which has compiled a shortlist of potential managers. In addition to Beale, former Rangers and Swansea City sporting director Mark Allen may also join Cardiff’s backroom team as part of the club’s future plans.

Beale, working as a number two to Steven Gerrard, enjoyed success in Glasgow with Rangers, helping to lead the Gers to a first Scottish Premiership title in a decade back in 2021. Shortly after lifting the title, Beale would follow Gerrard to Villa Park, before leaving to strike out on his own and become QPR boss in the summer of 2022. During his time at Loftus Road, he took the club to the top of the Championship table and turned down an opportunity to manage Wolverhampton Wanderers, eventually departing to seal a return to Ibrox - this time as Rangers’ main man.

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Beale lasted less than 11 months north of the border, having lost three out of his opening seven league matches, and his next role would take him to the Stadium of Light, where he secured the dubious honour of recording the shortest ever managerial stint in Sunderland’s history. The Englishman took charge of just a dozen games and was dismissed in February of last year.

Speaking about his exit from Sunderland in an interview last year, Beale said: “It was difficult, if I'm honest, the only club where I've not enjoyed working. It's just a feeling, I think everyone went in with the right intentions, but it wasn't the right fit. I was a bit perplexed coming in from the outside because the people that made the decision to bring me in, they have to consider all of that. They were very keen to bring me in, I went in with all the intentions of working with the staff there, but to bring one of my own in as well.

“It hurt that one, because there's only really so much one person can do in eight weeks. There's things I could have done better, but the environment I went into, it was difficult, it's not how you'd want to go into a club. Eight weeks is short, but I think it was best for all parties not to prolong it.”

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