- Premier League
Poyet to be named Sunderland boss within 24 hours
Gus Poyet is set to be hired as the new Sunderland manager within the next 24 hours, according to reports.
Poyet, 45, has been the long term favourite for the job with both owner Ellis Short and director of football Roberto De Fanti admirers of the former Brighton boss. Set to fill the void left by Paolo Di Canio, who after being appointed in March was sacked five games into the new Premier League season.
Former defender Kevin Ball had been operating in a caretaker capacity for the club while they searched for a new manager, and reiterated his desire in taking the role after Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United
"A desire to manage is in me," he told the Sunderland Echo."I've enjoyed the last few games, but it has been difficult because, when you are in the interim head coach role, you are caught in a bit of a quandary. There are things that you might want to bring in and introduce if you were in charge full-time, but when you have to concentrate on things game by game there's only so much you can do."
However the club look set to go the direction of Poyet, who left Brighton at the end of last season after almost guiding the club into the Premier League. Speaking last month, he revealed he had watched a lot of Sunderland, after deciding to follow sides he thought could be in trouble.
"When I left Brighton, I thought I would be in England until at least January," Poyet told South American radio station Sport890 ."I planned that, over the first matches of this season, I would pay a lot of attention to the teams I thought could be in trouble. Of course, I watch Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester, but there was a group of teams who, if they didn't start well, I thought I could have a chance.
"I was watching Sunderland a lot. People were talking a lot about them in the summer because of Paolo and how many new players they had. So I've seen quite a lot of them."
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