ESPN REPORT: Former Sunderland manager Decline Birmingham City Offer Even….See More…

After this season, Michael Beale and Tony Mowbray will join the expanding list of former Sunderland managers.

Sunderland entered the 2023–24 season under Mowbray’s direction, and the Black Cats were vying for a top six finish under his leadership.

However, Sunderland’s owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus would fire Mowbray shortly after appointing Beale, who was only head coach for 12 games. Sunderland would ultimately end in 16th place in the Championship table despite Mike Dodds’ best efforts to pick up the pieces failing.

Furthermore, Sunderland still doesn’t have a permanent manager in place more than three months after Beale was fired, and they don’t appear to be any closer to finding their next one either.

Birmingham City and former Sunderland boss Alex Neil have “initial talks.”

It has now been made public that Alex Neil, the former manager of Sunderland, has had “initial talks” with Birmingham City regarding Mowbray’s replacement this summer.

Since the Tigers fired the former Hull City manager at the end of the last campaign, he has been connected to several openings.

Since Michael Beale was fired by the Black Cats in February after just 12 games in charge, a number of possible contenders have been linked to a move to the Stadium of Light. Mike Dodds will manage the team for the balance of the season.

The Wearside club is expected to have a busy summer, both on and off the field, as they aim to improve on their 16th-place finish from this season and make sure they are competitive at the top of the table—a spot where a possible new manager ended the season with a different team.