Alex Neil 'open' to Sunderland return after Stoke sacking

Alex Neil is ‘open’ to a return to Sunderland as head coach, a report has claimed.

Snakes are known to attempt to return to the same den they have used in previous years in time of inactivity. In unrelated news, currently unemployed Alex Neil wants to come back to Sunderland.

Neil led Sunderland out of League One through the play-offs and it all looked like it was going very well at that stage.

However, he then sensationally walked out on the Black Cats, going to watch Stoke play at Blackburn and leaving his assistant to lead Sunderland on the same day in a game against Norwich.

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According to Alan Nixon, though, Neil is now ‘open’ to a return to Sunderland following his sacking at Stoke earlier this season.

It almost certainly says more about the desperation of Neil than anything to do with Sunderland, though.

He made it clear when he walked out that he did not like the way the club worked in terms of transfers. That isn’t going to change, so if Neil is indeed ‘open’ to a return it will almost certainly be with the intention just use the club to bolster his own reputation again while he waits for another offer.

When Neil left Sunderland in August 2022, he explained: "There are two facets to being a manager: what happens on and off the pitch.

"What happened on the pitch at Sunderland was superb. Players, staff, fans deserve credit.

"Other requirements are needed for me to do the job as much as I can and they are better suited here [at Stoke]. It's not fair for me to go into more detail than that.

"The key thing was ownership. On and off the pitch [Stoke] give you everything you need to succeed.”

Despite apparently having ‘everything he needed to succeed,’ Neil’s record at Stoke was very similar to Michael Beale’s record at Sunderland with him winning a third of his games and losing half of them. 

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