NO TAKEOVER, SO WHAT NEXT FOR SHORT AND HIS NEW BOSS?
After weeks of inactivity, circumstances at Sunderland changed dramatically within a matter of hours. Of course, the upshot is that much remains as it was.
Ellis Short is the chairman and 100% shareholder of the club. Jermain Defoe has left for Bournemouth, though that has been one of the worst kept secrets in the game over the last month. Fabio Borini headed to AC Milan for a medical and to confirm his switch. The destination may have been a surprise, but the departure certainly was not.
Sunderland are left without a senior recognised striker, but a revamp in that department was always going to be necessary, whoever the manager, whoever the owner.
The big move, clearly, saw Simon Grayson move from frontrunner and bookies’ favourite to the next manager of the club.
Sunderland approached Preston and with Grayson keen, permission was granted. With a compensation clause already written into his contract, there was no need for haggling.
So with that crucial issue settled, where next?
The task at hand is monumental, with not much more than a month until Derby County visit the Stadium of Light on the opening night of
The news that Ellis Short would not be selling the club was met with dismay on Wearside.
After a turgid year, the feeling was unquestionably that only change at the very top would allow the kind of change that could spark a revival.
Just minutes after Preston North End confirmed that the club had permission to speak to Simon Grayson, Sunderland released the following statement: “Recently, we informed supporters that discussions were taking place with parties who had expressed an interest in acquiring ownership of Sunderland AFC. Subsequently, more detailed talks were held over the last week with one of these groups.
“Ellis Short and the board were committed to ascertain if this group was better placed to take the club forward in the right way and to improve it, both on and off the pitch,” it added.
“A defined timeframe was placed on discussions to ensure that the club could move forward quickly and decisively with its plans for the new season should they not come to fruition.
“We have concluded these talks and have determined that this proposed sale would not be in the best interests of Sunderland AFC.
“Ellis Short will continue his commitment to the club, both financially and personally, moving forward.
“We would like to thank our supporters for their patience during what we know has been a period of uncertainty and frustration for them.
“Preston North End have granted us permission to speak with Simon Grayson regarding the manager’s position.” So what went wrong? Short had been insistent ever since news broke that he would be interesting in selling the club that he would only sanction a change in ownership if he felt it was in the best interests of Sunderland.
Clearly, too, he was eager