Roy Keane remains ‘close’ to becoming Sunderland manager, but an agreement still hasn’t been reached.Â
That’s according to The Telegraph’s Northern football writer Luke Edwards, who sounds unconvinced about the links to the former boss.
The lowdown: Two candidates
Sunderland are working to appoint a successor to Lee Johnson, who was sacked following a 6-0 battering at Bolton Wanderers in late January.
According to Football League World, they’ve interviewed two candidates in depth.
One is Keane, who was in charge at Sunderland between 2006 and 2008 but hasn’t managed since leaving Ipswich more than ten years ago.
And the other is Grant McCann, recently dismissed by the new owners at Hull City.
The latest: Still not done
A Sunderland fan told Edwards on Twitter that they are ‘eagerly awaiting updates on Keane as and when you get them’.
“Close but as things stand, no cigar,” the journalist replied at lunchtime on Tuesday.
The verdict: Ominous
Things are just starting to look a little ominous for those who want Keane at the helm.
On Monday, Edwards questioned whether the Irishman was ‘first choice’ in light of a report from The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope that the club are planning to hold a fresh round of interviews.
If Keane is ‘just a candidate’ rather than a frontrunner, Edwards ‘doubts he will come’.
Meanwhile, FLW have claimed that The Black Cats’ decision could hinge on wage demands, and the former Manchester United skipper has apparently named a ‘pretty substantial’ price.
With this latest update that they still haven’t come to terms in mind, it may be time to look more closely at McCann.
In other news, read what a source close to Keane had to say.