The Black Cats are looking for a new boss.
Sunderland will soon have to make a critical decision about the managerial position at The Stadium of Light.
Following Mick Beale’s dismissal in February, Mike Dodds was appointed temporary manager of the Black Cats until the end of the season.
However, it is unclear who will be in command at The Stadium of Light after that time.
Jermain Defoe is one candidate that may have become available to Sunderland for that purpose.
The former England international has previously stated that he would ‘love to’ manage the Black Cats.
With a vacancy in that position expected soon, Defoe’s comments may provide Sunderland with something to think about in the future.
So, with that in mind, we’ve looked at two advantages and two disadvantages of Defoe taking over as manager of the Black Cats right here.
Pro: Goal scoring pedigree
Sunderland has struggled to score goals from the centre-forward position this season. Mason Burstow, Nazariy Rusyn, and Luis Semedo have scored only three Championship goals this season.
However, in Defoe, the Black Cats would be appointing a manager who knew exactly how to score from that area during his playing career.
Pro: Plenty of contacts
Providing that insight for the likes of those young attackers to learn from, could be crucial in helping to get the best out of them, and in turn, ensuring they can supply the goals that Sunderland need to pick up the wins that could eventually earn them promotion.
Defoe of course, enjoyed an excellent playing career which saw him represent a number of clubs, as well as England, with distinction.
He is also now working as a coach at one of his former clubs, in the form of Tottenham. As a result, through his career on and off the pitch, he will have built up numerous connections with other key figures throughout the game.
That of course, is something that could work to Sunderland’s advantage if they were to appoint Defoe as well, by potentially opening the door for additional transfer avenues, that could bring some more useful signings to the Stadium of Light.
Con: A managerial rookie
While Defoe is now coaching Tottenham’s young team, his senior managerial expertise is far more limited.
To date, the former striker has only worked as part of a four-man management team that briefly led Rangers in 2021. Being a full-time manager in the Championship on his own would present a totally different task.
That is especially true for a team like Sunderland, who would have high expectations given their stature and may prefer someone who has already demonstrated the ability to handle such pressure on their own.
Con: Never go back
Defoe is of course no stranger to Sunderland, having previously had two spells with the club during his playing career.
In that time, the striker developed an excellent relationship with the club’s fans, that make him an extremely popular figure around the Stadium of Light. As others have found out though in football, it is sometimes best not to return to the scenes of such success.
There is no certainty that Defoe will enjoy the same success while managing the club as he did when he was playing for them, particularly given the challenges he might face there. As a result, there may be some concerns about him tarnishing his Sunderland legacy if things do not work out for him should he become manager, which may have some wondering if this would be an entirely sensible move for those involved.
His second spell as a player, which didn’t go as planned, could well be a warning to the Black Cats.
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