SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 11: Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland and Birmingham City at Stadium of Light on November 11, 2023 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Sunderland and owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus have been told to ‘start acting like a big club’, amid the ongoing managerial fiasco.
Sunderland remain without a manager after parting ways with Michael Beale on February 19th.
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has had almost four months to find a replacement, yet it seems like the Black Cats aren’t close to hiring a new manager.
The Sunderland owner, who is coming under increasing scrutiny along with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, claimed earlier in June that an appointment was imminent.
Since, long-term target Will Still has taken charge of RC Lens, before Liam Rosenior then pulled out of the running to become next Sunderland manager.
It leaves the Black Cats without a clear front-runner for the job. But it’s said that Sunderland are keen on QPR manager Marti Cifuentes, who would require a six-figure compensation fee.
Cifuentes arrived at QPR midway through the 2023/24 season. Leaving Swedish Allsvenskan side Hammarby, the Spaniard steered the R’s to an 18th place finish in the Championship.
Sunderland urged to pay compensation for QPR manager Marti Cifuentes
It was previously revealed that Sunderland and Louis-Dreyfus were unwilling to pay the compensation fee for Still when he was at Remis.
Reports suggested that Sunderland or any other club wanting to take Still from Reims would’ve needed to pay more than £4million in compensation.
Reports say that Cifuentes, who is reportedly under contract at QPR until 2027, would only require a six-figure compensation fee.
The exact figure is not known. But journalist Alan Nixon has now urged Sunderland to ‘start acting like a big club’, and pay the compensation fee for Cifuentes.
