Sunderland has announced the appointment of Lorient manager Regis Le Bris as their new head coach on a three-year contract. The 48-year-old Frenchman takes over from Michael Beale, who was dismissed in February after less than three months in charge.
Le Bris led Lorient for two seasons, achieving a 10th place finish in Ligue 1 in his first year before the team was relegated in the following season after finishing 17th. Sunderland ended the 2023-24 season in 16th place in the Championship.
The club had reportedly been considering Englishman Will Still for the position, but he opted to join Lens instead. Sunderland finished sixth in their first season back in the second tier under Tony Mowbray in 2022-23, but missed out on promotion after losing to Luton in the play-off semi-final.
Mowbray was relieved of his duties in December, and Beale took over but was let go after just 12 matches as the team dropped out of contention for a top-six finish. The season ended with Sunderland finishing 17 points behind the play-off spots under the guidance of caretaker coach Mike Dodds.
