Sunderland have bolstered Regis Le Bris’ backroom team with a significant appointment, with reliable journalist Dominic Shaw sharing the update.
Sunderland make strong Championship start under Le Bris
The Black Cats couldn’t have asked for a much better start to the season in the Championship, with Le Bris’ men finding themselves right in the automatic promotion mix, sitting top of the table.
Sunderland have won six of their nine matches to date in the league, only suffering two defeats, and they have played some sparkling football along the way, with star youngsters such as Chris Rigg, Jobe Bellingham and Eliezer Mayenda catching the eye, among others.
Le Bris has come straight in as manager and hit the ground running, making his presence felt and steering his side to many good results, and the big test is whether his young squad can last the course of a long 46-game season in the Championship, especially as fatigue and pressure kick in during the latter months of the campaign.
While the manager will no doubt be delighted with how things are going, he will be aware of having the strongest backroom team to work alongside, taking pressure off him and allowing others to provide their input on team matters. A massive appointment has now been confirmed in that respect.
Sunderland appoint new assistant head coach
As reported by The Northern Echo‘s Shaw, Sunderland have appointed Pedro Ribeiro as their new assistant head coach, with sporting director Kristjaan Speakman buzzing, feeling the 38-year-old is the “right candidate” for the job and saying:
“We are delighted to welcome Pedro to Sunderland. We’ve been diligent and patient in identifying the right candidate for this role to ensure we build on the excellent progress we are making.
“Pedro has an impressive set of experiences. He can use these to provide an alternative perspective, but importantly he is aligned to our values and playing identity. We wish him the best of luck and look forward to helping him settle into his new role.”
The report states that the former Porto, Olympiakos and Fenehbace coach “will join Mike Dodds as Le Bris’ assistant head coach, with Michael Proctor to continue in his role as first team coach and Alessandro Barcherini as head of goalkeeping”. It goes on to add that the Black Cats “have spoken to a whole host of assistant head coach candidates since Le Bris’ summer arrival but were happy to be patient to ensure any new addition was the right fit on Wearside.”
This is a very exciting appointment for Sunderland, with Ribeiro a young coach with fresh ideas, but also a hugely experienced figure with 19 years of coaching under his belt. The Portuguese has also been a manager in the past, enjoying spells at the likes of Belenenses SAD, FC Penafiel, Academico Viseu and Leixoes in his homeland, which can only bode well in terms of him being a strong lieutenant to Le Bris.
Sunderland need to be looking at every possible advantage in their quest to seal promotion from the Premier League to the Championship, and bringing in someone with the ability and nous of Ribeiro can only be a good thing.
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The hope is that he and Le Bris immediately click with one another, further aiding the Black Cats in what is hopefully one of the most memorable seasons in the club’s recent history.