As reports emerged of Sunderland’s Sam Allardyce emerging from the FA office, the club confirmed their manager’s desire to coach England after the top spot was left vacant following Roy Hodgson’s resignation.
Roy Hodgson left his position as manager after the Three Lions’ humiliating Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland, and the FA have since been searching for a successor to the former Fulham manager.
Sunderland have subsequently confirmed that they granted English football’s governing body permission to speak with Allardyce, who is now reportedly the frontrunner for the post ahead of the likes of Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klinsmann.
Club comment – Sam Allardyce https://t.co/Scrp0HBogI
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) July 13, 2016
The Black Cats, who finished 17th in the Premier League in 2015-16, have also called on the FA to conduct discussions swiftly, and still hope to retain Allardyce’s services.
“The Football Association contacted Sunderland AFC to seek permission to speak with our manager as part of what was supposed to be a confidential discussion process with potential candidates for the position of England manager,” an official statement read.
“At Sam Allardyce’s request, we agreed to this.
“Sam is very much key to our plans. After what was an extremely challenging season, we are keen to see a period of stability, both on and off the field, and we want him to remain as manager of our football club.
“The ongoing speculation over Sam’s position is extremely damaging to Sunderland AFC, particularly at this crucial time of the season and we urge the FA to respect the disruption that this process is causing and bring about a swift resolution to the matter.”
According to Sportsmail, the Sunderland boss was called to the Cheshire home of David Gill, the FA vice-chairman and key member of the three-man panel that will select Hodgson’s successor. FA technical boss Dan Ashworth and chief executive Martin Glenn were also at the meeting, with Allardyce’s chances of landing the top job in English football boosted by a personal endorsement from Sir Alex Ferguson.