Sunderland close to appointing former Rangers manager Michael Beale

The Sunderland team is having serious discussions with Michael Beale. It appears almost certain that the 43-year-old who is originally from London will become their new coach. The deal is very close to being finalized.

Discussions have moved forward significantly and it's anticipated that the ex-QPR and Rangers boss will observe the Championship game at Bristol City this coming Saturday from the spectator area.

Despite Mike Dodds taking the reins for now, Beale is anticipated to take over in time for their next match against Coventry on Saturday. This will be his fifth game as successor to Tony Mowbray. The highly-anticipated game against Newcastle during the FA Cup third round is set to take place at the Stadium of Light next month.

Beale has emerged as the leading contender for the Sunderland job after Mowbray's unexpected dismissal. The owner of the club, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, was known to favor Still, who manages Reims and is just 31 years old. However, discussions stalled due to a disagreement over compensation owed to Ligue 1 team Reims.

Beale caught Steven Gerrard's attention while working as a coach in Liverpool's youth academy. Later, he worked as Gerrard's assistant when he became the head coach for Rangers. When Gerrard moved to Aston Villa, Beale also joined him there. In June 2022, Beale became a manager for his own team at the Championship side QPR. However, only a few months later, he left the team to return to Rangers as the head coach.

In October of this year, Rangers dismissed Beale due to a mediocre beginning to this season, which was quite different from the strong second-place performance in the previous year's Scottish Premiership.

Ever since he celebrated his 21st birthday and stopped playing professionally, he has been working in the field of coaching. Before that, he had played for several junior teams such as Charlton, FC Twente, and various clubs in the United States. He then traveled to Brazil to learn about futsal and eventually created a futsal club in south London. Following this, he became a coach at Chelsea's academy and later joined Liverpool's academy team.

Beale is set to take over a youthful and imaginative Sunderland team that currently sits in sixth place in the second division and lacks experience. Similar to the well-liked Mowbray, who guided them to the playoff semi-finals last season, the new manager is rumored to have also been considered for the open managerial position at Stoke this week. Both managers prioritize an appealing style of offensive play centered around fluid passing and swift movement.