Sunderland have reportedly submitted a work permit application as they wait on the next step of their managerial appointment process after agreeing terms with Lorient’s Régis Le Bris.
According to HITC, an agreement has been reached with the 48-year-old as the Black Cats’ search for a successor to Michael Beale potentially draws to a close.
The Wearside outfit have submitted a work permit application, as they take a step forward to appointing a new head coach.
Beale was dismissed from the role in February after a disastrous 63 days in charge, with Mike Dodds overseeing the end of the campaign on an interim basis.
Dodds led the club to a 16th place finish in the Championship, with the team struggling throughout the second half of the season.
Sunderland’s Régis Le Bris approach
It was reported earlier this week that Sunderland have identified Le Bris as their primary candidate to take over the first team squad.
It has been a protracted search process, with a number of candidates stepping forward as front-runners only for no appointment to be made.
The Championship side will still need to pay compensation to the Ligue 2 outfit in order to extract Le Bris from his current contract.
It is believed that a release clause worth €5 (£4.2) million has been set in his deal with Lorient, which Sunderland may need to pay in full.
But a big step forward has been taken in the process of hiring the Frenchman, with personal terms understood to be agreed with the club.
It has previously been reported that the work permit process has proven a stumbling block for Sunderland, so it remains to be seen whether Le Bris’ application will be a success.
The first team squad will be reporting for pre-season in the next couple of weeks, so the Black Cats will surely be hoping to have someone in the dugout by then.
Sunderland’s busy summer ahead
Whoever is appointed as Sunderland’s new head coach will have a lot of work to get stuck into immediately.
The likes of Jack Clarke, Trai Hume, and Pierre Ekwah have all been linked with moves away from the side this summer.
The side’s disappointing 16th-place finish in the table last season also suggests improvements need to be made to the squad in the transfer window too.
These are all issues that Le Bris will have to tackle if he is appointed as Beale’s permanent successor.
Le Bris appointment will be underwhelming
Le Bris’ record in France didn’t set the world alight, and he guided Lorient to relegation last season, which will be a concern.
The 48-year-old has a win rate of 30 percent from his two years with the club, although he did lead the team to 10th place in 2023.
Given the protracted appointment process, he will be under pressure to perform immediately and make the wait worthwhile.
Supporters will expect an improvement on last year’s 16th-place finish, but the transfer window will prove a very difficult period due to the interest in so many of Sunderland’s key players.
Le Bris arrives at the Stadium of Light at a difficult time but if he can exceed expectations, he will get a passionate fanbase on board.
