Sunderland managerial target addresses questions over future as Sheffield Wednesday seek 'clear strategy'

Pompey will shortly be announcing who they have retained ahead of the 2024/25 Championship season with certain stars set for a Fratton Park exit.

The club have 15 players who could be free agents this summer and head coach John Mousinho was yesterday delivering the news on who would be kept on as the club prepare to make their long-awaited return to the Championship.

As we await the news on who remains with the Blues, here is the latest from Pompey’s soon-to-be league rivals in the EFL second-tier competition...

Sunderland target reveals future plans

Sunderland are continuing their search for a successor to Michael Beale after the ex-Rangers boss was sacked in January. Beale, who replaced Tony Mowbray, was in charge for just 13 games before being shown the Stadium of Light exit and Mike Dodds has since been handed the job on an interim basis.

This summer, Sunderland are expected to appoint a new permanent head coach and last week Queens Park Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes saw his name shoot to the top of the betting field. Following the R’s 4-0 triumph over Leeds United on Friday, Cifuentes has, however, dropped several hints on his immediate future, urging the media to remain on the side of caution when it comes to speculation.

As reported by the Sunderland Echo, the QPR head coach said: “I said when I came here that when we win football games, which is not every weekend, we should celebrate.

“If you ask me about the future, we will sit, analyse and be humble. It's easy to get carried away and there's a lot of work to be done in the future. I think we need to remain humble and understand there are a lot of things we can do better.”

When asked specifically about Sunderland, Cifuentes added: “If you believe everything you see on social media then it’s going to be a long night.”

Sheffield Wednesday seek ‘clear strategy’

Sheffield Wednesday will take on Sunderland on Saturday with just one point from the game enough for them to clinch their place in the Championship next season. The club have enjoyed an immense resurgence in the last few months and when the season concludes, the Owls head coach Danny Röhl will hold a talk with the club’s owner, Dejphon Chansiri, about the changes he believes to be required if the club are to go ‘to the next level’.

Speaking to the Star following the side’s 3-0 win over West Brom on Saturday, Röhl said: “We will speak, like always, and then go forward.” The Owls boss has long spoken of the necessity to increase the off-field infrastructure at the club and with 20 senior players coming to the end of their contracts with the club, it could be a busy summer.

“I need a clear strategy of what we can do and what we want to do,” Röhl added. “I am very hungry for more and when you feel the atmosphere in the stadium you can feel that everybody is hungry for more at this club. The experience of the Championship shows us we must be prepared for a tough season and I think the biggest mistake you can make is to think it is good enough what we are doing now.

“Now we must make the next step and for this we must bring all the things together on the table and we must speak about this. We have a clear direction on what we have to improve and if we can do this I think we can go into a good pre-season, this is important. And then we go into the next season.”