Former Rangers and QPR manager Michael Beale has been selected Tony Mowbray’s successor at Sunderland. Sunderland has spoken to a number of potential candidates, including Reims manager Will Still. Mike Dodds has been named Beale’s assistant head coach.
Michael Beale has been appointed as Sunderland’s next head coach, with a deal until the summer of 2026.
The 43-year-old has been selected as Tony Mowbray’s successor at the Stadium of Light, 11 weeks after being fired by Rangers.
Sunderland interviewed a number of potential candidates, including Reims coach Will Still, following Mowbray’s departure before opting on Beale as the best contender for the role.
Beale said: “It’s a huge honour to be joining the Sunderland family and I would like to thank Kyril (Louis-Dreyfus), Kristjaan (Speakman) and the rest of the executive team for the faith and responsibility they have placed in me.
“The existing coaching team deserves huge credit for the way they navigated the interim period and like all of the staff at the club, they will continue to be vitally important moving forward alongside the incredible fans that make SAFC such an historic and unique club.
“It’s clear there is some excellent work being done at senior and academy level and I’m excited to support those efforts and implement my own ideas, as we build on the strong identity already established within the club.”
Sunderland parted ways with Mowbray earlier this month, two days after a 1-1 draw at Millwall, which prolonged a record of one win in five games.
Mike Dodds helped the club win two games against West Brom and Leeds before losing to Bristol City on Saturday, leaving them eighth in the Championship table and three points behind the play-offs.
Dodds has been named Beale’s associate head coach, while Michael Proctor and Alessandro Barcherini will remain in their current positions.
Beale previously managed QPR in the Championship before his spell with Rangers. He moved to west London in the summer of 2022 and led QPR to the top of the Championship before turning down a move to the Premier League with Wolves in October of the same year.
However, a month later Beale, who also served as Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Rangers when they won the Premiership title in 2020-21, moved back to Glasgow to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst but could only lead Rangers to a second-placed finish up against Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic.
He was eventually dismissed after just six league games of the next campaign after a 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen left them third in the table and has been out of the game since leaving Ibrox.
Beale will take charge of Sunderland for the first time on Saturday when they welcome Coventry to the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: “We have monitored Michael’s career for some time and we are delighted to have reached an agreement for him to become our new head coach.
“He has an excellent and well-founded reputation for developing players and he is an outstanding progressive coach, who is aligned with our playing identity and naturally fits within our structure alongside Mike Dodds and the wider team.
“We continue to trust in our established process of identifying the right candidates to take us forward at these junctures and although Michael has had a setback, we feel we are getting him at the right time in his coaching journey and our journey as a club.”
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