Leeds United's Championship rivals suffer huge blow as manager 'rejects' job offer days after 'agreement'

Sunderland’s search for a new manager looks set to continue after they saw an offer rejected by Will Still - just days after he’d reportedly agreed to take over.

The Black Cats have been on the lookout for a new head coach since sacking Michael Beale in February, with the former Rangers boss unable to close in on the play-off places and doing little to endear himself to the club’s passionate fanbase. Beale was brought in to replace Tony Mowbray in December and rather than appoint a third full-time manager, they ended the campaign with Mike Dodds in an interim role.

Those in charge at the Stadium of Light have had plenty of time to source a successor, then, and looked well-placed to appoint Will Still following his departure from French outfit Reims. Still had all but agreed to make the move but the Daily Mail now reports that he will turn down the offer and remain in France.

Reports had surfaced earlier this week suggesting the 31-year-old could U-turn on a verbal agreement to take over at Sunderland and that now looks to be true. Still will reportedly agree to join Ligue 1 outfit Lens instead, with the allure of their place in the Europa Conference League thought to be a key pull.

The unexpected blow will stifle Sunderland’s early transfer plans with the club seemingly no closer to finding a new manager than they were back in February. Major decisions regarding recruitment cannot be made without a head coach and, as Daniel Farke and Leeds know only too well, lost days can have a major impact going into the early weeks of next season and beyond.

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Sunderland are also facing uncertainty regarding some of their star players, with reports of Premier League interest in Jack Clarke and Jobe Bellingham. Southampton are thought to be weighing up a move for Clarke, whose 15 goals and four assists represented a best-ever individual campaign from the 23-year-old Leeds academy graduate.

Bellingham is on the radar of several top-flight clubs, with interest from Crystal Palace the most intense. The 18-year-old’s debut campaign at the Stadium of Light saw him score seven goals in 47 appearances but the Sunderland Echo reports that formal offers are yet to be received for the brother of Real Madrid and England star, Jude Bellingham.

Sunderland’s disappointing 16th-place finish came thanks in part to a woeful final few months once their season was effectively over and there is hope that a strong summer could see them push back into play-off contention. Despite a poor campaign, the Black Cats did enjoy success as one of just three sides not to be beaten by Farke’s Whites.

Leeds are not in a perfect position going into the summer but will benefit from the stability of a manager and ownership group already in place. Chairman Paraag Marathe has made no secret that tough decisions will be made and some key players may leave, but plans will be in place to recruit and United should go into the opening weeks of next season far more prepared than the same time 12 months ago.