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Sunderland linked with shock move for new head coach

According to reports from the reliable Fabrizio Romano, Sunderland could look to replace current Head Coach, Tony Mowbray, at the end of the season.

Romano suggests that the Black Cats could make a move for 34-year-old Italian manager, Francesco Farioli, who is currently at the ‘top of their list’.

Current boss Tony Mowbray has had a fantastic season so far with Sunderland, with his side currently sat 6th in the EFL Championship table with just two games left to play.

Should they win both of their remaining two fixtures, his side would have a great chance at securing a Play-Off spot and potential back-to-back promotions to get them back into the Premier League.

The timing of the news is far from ideal, and has left a large amount of Sunderland fans quite disappointed with the lack of support for Mowbray, who has been in charge since September 2022.

Who is Francesco Fariolo?

The 34-year-old is the former manager of Turkish Super League side, Alanyaspor, where he led his side to a 5th place finish as well as a semi-final spot in the Turkish cup.

Not only does Farioli have an extremely inexperienced managerial career, he also didn’t play football professionally as a player either.

Instead, he studied Philosophy and Sports Science at University before becoming a goalkeeping coach under current Brighton manager, Roberto De Zerbi at Sassuolo.

The Italian has been strongly linked with a move to Portugal, where Braga are reportedly interested in Farioli.

Other clubs in Italy, England and Turkey have all approached him for a move ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Some have tipped the young manager as having a similar style and background to Graham Potter, who was recently sacked by Chelsea.