New Sunderland boss facing major rebuilding job

SUNDERLAND’S new manager will face the task of clearing the decks before he presses ahead with his own plans for rebuilding the squad.

As the club prepared to launch its search for Ricky Sbragia’s replacement, preparations were already being made to reshape the playing staff.

The Black Cats confirmed what had been apparent for some time when they announced they would not be taking up the chance to make Djibril Cisse’s season-long loan move from Marseille permanent. In addition, the likes of Dwight Yorke, David Connolly and Arnau Riera are out of contract and will leave the club, while Michael Chopra’s loan move to Cardiff will formally become a permanent £4million transfer once the summer window opens.

But whoever is appointed to head a fresh drive to establish Sunderland in the Barclays Premier League will inherit a squad with decisions to make.

At one point, former boss Roy Keane had a dozen men out on loan, many of them his signings, and several returned to Wearside at the end of the campaign.

Greg Halford, who was a Coca-Cola Championship play-off final loser with Sheffield United, has two years left on his contract, while the injury-plagued Russell Anderson, Roy O’Donovan and Anthony Stokes have one each.

Chairman Niall Quinn has insisted there is little time pressure as he looks for a third manager since his own brief spell in charge, but whoever comes in is likely to want to move players on to make way for his own signings with American businessman Ellis Short ready to fund another spending spree.

Bookmakers have installed Wigan boss Steve Bruce as the early favourite to succeed Sbragia with Gordon Strachan, who stood down from his post at Celtic on Monday, hard on his heels.