Sunderland reportedly interviewed IF Elfsborg manager Jimmy Thelin on Monday as the Championship outfit consider another option to replace Tony Mowbray at the Stadium of Light.
With Kieran McKenna going nowhere, Will Still playing down those Sunderland links and Kim Hellberg taking over at Hammarby, three of Sunderland’s leading managerial targets appear to have moved beyond the Black Cats reach.
As of right now, however, Jimmy Thelin remains very much in the picture.
Four days after holding talks with Hellberg, who led IFK Varnamo to a best-ever finish of fifth in the Allsvenskan last term, Sunderland opened a dialogue with another Swedish tactician. Aftonbladet report that Thelin was in discussions with the Black Cats bosses on Monday, some 24 hours before they defeated Leeds United on Wearside thanks to Jobe Bellingham’s second-half winner.
Sunderland interview Jimmy Thelin
45-year-old Thelin did even better than Hellberg in 2023. His Elfsborg side finished second, and only lost out on the title to Malmo on goal difference. Winning 20 out of 30 fixtures, Thelin’s team also had the best defensive record in the division while averaging almost two goals a game.
Aftonbladet, at things stand, are not sure how the interview went, or indeed where Thelin ranks on Kyril Louis-Dreyfus’ wishlist. 31-year-old Will Still, according to many sources, remains Sunderland’s number one choice.
In a sign of how highly Thelin is regarded back home in Sweden, the former Jonkopings Sodra IF coach was a leading candidate to become the head coach of the men’s national team recently. Thelin, however, has no interest in transitioning into international football for the time being.
Thelin’s Elfsborg nearly won Swedish title
“He is awesome. Jimmy is an incredibly good coach and person,” now-Bologna winger Jesper Karlson told Aftonbladet of Thelin, who he worked alongside at Elfsborg.
“I know how hard he works to correct details if things haven’t gone well.”
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