Former Sunderland chief Bain tried to lure Grayson to Indian game

Simon Grayson is considering a move to India – having jetted out to meet former Sunderland chief executive Martin Bain earlier this year.

Bain is now helping to run the Indian Super League, and is keen to see more highprofile figures head overseas – with Owen Coyle the only British manager currently in the league.

And Grayson was invited to see what life could be like in India just before the coronavirus pandemic prevented international travel.

“It was good to get out there and go and see Martin Bain, my CEO at Sunderland, who plays a big part in the running of the Indian Super League,” he explained, speaking to talkSPORT.

“He told me to come out to India and get an experience of what the life is like out there.

“It just happened to be that the ISL final was on when I was there.

“Because of everything that has been going on the final was played behind closed doors so I wasn’t able to sample the true atmosphere, but it was a still great experience.

“I spoke with Owen Coyle (Chennaiyin FC manager) two hours before kick off and had a good chat with him about the lifestyle out there and the quality of football in general.”

So with four clubs currently looking for new managers, could Grayson be tempted by the Indian Super League?

“A lot of British managers have gone out there, so it’s certainly something interesting to consider,” he said.

“If the right opportunity presented itself in the future it might interest me for sure.”

He added: “I’ll then take stock of what I’m going to do in the long term.

“I really enjoyed the media work that I was doing before I took the Blackpool job, so I’d like to get my teeth into that again.

“In terms of management, I don’t think it’s the end of me in the dugout.

“I still believe I have something to offer in the game, we’ll have to wait and see what opportunity presents itself.”

Grayson replaced David Moyes as Sunderland manager in June 2017.

He oversaw 18 games, winning just three and losing eight.

He was sacked in November 2017, and has subsequently managed Bradford City and Blackpool.