Sunderland appoint former Aston Villa assistant boss Michael Beale
Sunderland have appointed former Rangers boss Michael Beale as their new head coach.
The 43-year-old has signed a contract until the summer of 2026 as he takes over as the permanent successor to ex-Albion boss Tony Mowbray, who was sacked at the start of December following a poor run of results.
Beale’s last job came at Ibrox, where he enjoyed success working as Steven Gerrard’s assistant when Gers won the Premiership title in 2020-21 before returning to the Scottish club as manager in November 2022 after a six-month spell as QPR boss. He also worked under Gerrard at Villa.
The Englishman – who was heavily linked to the Wolves job a year ago – was sacked by Rangers in October after a disappointing start to the new season.
Beale takes charge of Sunderland with the club seventh in the Championship and three points off the play-off places following a solid spell under interim boss Mike Dodds.
Dodds, who guided the team to wins against Albion and Leeds before suffering defeat to Bristol City on Saturday, has been handed the role of assistant head coach.
