Sunderland brought an end to their long search for a new head coach over the weekend, with Régis Le Bris appointed on a three-year deal.
Attention will now quickly turn to a huge transfer window, with the squad in need of significant attention as the club bids to bounce back from what was a very disappointing end to last season. So how does the process work, where does it currently stand and where exactly will Le Bris come into the picture? Here, we explain the process from start to finish…
The revamp of Sunderland’s recruitment operation that followed Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman’s arrivals at the club means that recruitment is now an all-year round operation, the vast majority of which happens outside of the control of the head coach.
Sunderland’s commitment to a strategy of signing young players with high resale value is under the current hierarchy a non-negotiable. Not only are head coaches expected to work within that parameter, but they’re actively recruited because they have a background in youth development. Those head coaches are also expected to implement a high-intensity, attacking playing style which allows Sunderland to recruit players who will fit their philosophy regardless of who is in the dugout at any one time. Club figures made clear after Michael Beale’s departure that the move away from that to a more defensive approach was a key reason for their decision to change course in February. After a dismal end to the season, Régis Le Bris will be expected to get Sunderland back on the front foot and give the club’s technically-gifted players the best chance of showing their worth. While he has often played a back five and a counter-attacking style at FC Lorient, he favoured a more possession-based approach in his time in charge of the academy and by and large, the Black Cats’ preference is for a back four that allows to get another attacker on the pitch. Le Bris will be flexible depending on the opponent, but the fundamental demand is for an attacking approach.
