Ex-Sunderland boss Alex Neil linked with Hearts and Cardiff City jobs after latest round of sackings
The former Sunderland boss has been out of work since leaving Stoke City last December.
Former Sunderland and Stoke City boss Alex Neil is among the frontrunners to take the Hearts job and has also been linked with Cardiff City.
Hearts sacked manager Steven Naismith on Sunday following a miserable run of eight defeats on the spin. The 38-year-old former Everton and Rangers player finished third place in the Scottish top flight with Hearts last season.
However, Hearts are bottom of the league in the current campaign, with just one point from their opening six fixtures after a 2-1 defeat by St Mirren and now, former Sunderland and Norwich City boss Neil has been named among the favourites to take the job.
Neil has been out of work since leaving Stoke in December. The 42-year-old did win promotion from League One with Sunderland via the play-offs after he was appointed during the second half of the 2021-22 season. Neil’s name has also been loosely linked with the Cardiff City job after the sacking of Erol Bulut on Sunday.
The South Wales club currently sit bottom of the Championship with just one point from their opening six games. The Bluebirds were defeated 2-0 by Sunderland on the opening day of the 2024-25 campaign.
Neil has an impressive CV in the EFL and Scotland and boasts several promotions. Neil has pushed teams up out of various divisions on three occasions; with Hamilton Academical from the Scottish Championship, Norwich City from the Championship and Sunderland from League One via the play-offs and a memorable win against Wycombe Wanderers in the final at Wembley.