Former Bristol City midfielder, favorite to take over as Sunderland’s new manager

Former Bristol City academy product Liam Rosenior has become the overwhelming favorite to take over from the Robins’ Championship rivals Sunderland.

The Black Cats have been without a full-time boss since the decision to sack Michael Beale in February, with manager Mike Dodds guiding the team through the 2023/24 season as they finished 16th, six points behind City.

Rosenior was sacked by Hull City at the end of the campaign after failing to take the Tigers into the top six and has turned down the Plymouth Argyle job since leaving the MKM Stadium in May.

Sunderland had been waiting for Reims boss Will Still to move to the dugout from Wearside, but after citing concerns over “personnel and investment”, the highly-rated 31-year-old was appointed at RC Lens, who take saw the Black Cats return. back to Rosenior.

Despite his sacking from Hull and failure in the eyes of owner Acun Illicali, which divided many, the 39-year-old still maintains a strong reputation in the game following his coaching stint at Derby County and had no plans to quit from a job for a long time.

Rosenior made 28 appearances for City after coming through the academy, but soon after establishing himself in the first team, which included a score in the 2003 Football League Trophy final win over Carlisle United, the youngster then aged 19, he went to Fulham and left. to have a career with Reading, Hull and Brighton as permanent destinations. Since retiring in 2018, he has worked as a manager at Brighton and Derby and as a pundit for Sky Sports, analyzing Championship football.

Meanwhile, former City midfielder Tyreeq Bakinson looks set to sign for Leyton Orient or Wycombe Wanderers in League One as his contract at Sheffield Wednesday comes to an end.

Bakinson left the West Country for Hillsborough in 2022 but failed to establish himself in the Owls’ Championship side and spent the second half of last season on loan at third-tier Charlton Athletic.

Football Insider reports that Wycombe and Orient are “battling” to sign the 25-year-old, who made 54 appearances during his time in BS3.

SIGN UP: For our daily Robins newsletter, bringing you the latest from Ashton Gate