5 days Ago By James Copley
Sign up to our Sunderland AFC newsletter Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Sunderland Echo, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Sunderland ’s Championship rivals Coventry City are reportedly weighing up whether to appoint Frank Lampard or Ruud van Nistelrooy . Mark Robins was sacked by Sky Blues owner Doug King earlier this month despite leading the club to an FA Cup semi-final last season and the play-off final the campaign before, where Coventry came just one kick away from the Premier League, losing to Luton Town on penalties.
Advertisement Advertisement Conflicting reports have now emerged about the man set to replace Robins at the Championship club. Several stories have suggested that ex-Chelsea and Everton boss Lampard is now the front-runner, with owner King leaning on ties to the Redknapp family, who are related to the Lampards. Lampard was linked with the Sunderland job last summer before the appointment of Régis Le Bris but it is understood that the former Chelsea and Everton boss wasn’t at any point in the running to become Michael Beale’s permanent successor at the Academy of Light.
Other reports have suggested that Lampard is expected to be among up to five candidates that Coventry City will speak to about their vacant manager's job - and that former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker van Nistelrooy is still very much in the running. The news regarding Lampard and van Nistelrooy comes after Sunday’s reports regarding Luton Town manager Rob Edwards. The Sun have suggested the 41-year-old is considering his position at Kenilworth Road, with Luton Town currently 21st in the league with just 15 points.
The club are now 10 points adrift from the play-off spots and 16 away from Sunderland and Sheffield United in the top two places. Advertisement Advertisement Read More Their report also states that Championship club Coventry City are monitoring Edwards’ situation after owner Doug King sacked long-serving manager Mark Robins earlier this month. The national publication claims that should the former Watford boss leave his post at Luton Town and become a free agent, they would be interested in offering him the job.
However, The Sun also claim that Edwards would face “immense competition” for the top job at Coventry with owner King claiming the EFL side has received plenty of CVs from "high-quality" managers..
