David Moyes to Sunderland: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

Sunderland have named former Manchester United and Everton boss David Moyes as their new manager, per the club’s official Twitter feed:

The 53-year-old has signed a four-year contract at the Stadium of Light after replacing Sam Allardyce, who was recently appointed England manager.

Moyes has been out of work since November, when he was sacked by La Liga outfit Real Sociedad.

His time in Spain wasn’t quite as fruitless as his spell at Old Trafford, where he failed to fill the cavernous shoes of Sir Alex Ferguson and left the club under a cloud.

But Sunderland, who stayed in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth in the 2015/16 campaign, identified the Scotsman as their first choice following Allardyce’s departure.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

Chairman Ellis Short told the club website that he’s been chasing Moyes for a long time and his experience will be a huge asset in the future:

"

We are absolutely delighted to welcome David Moyes to Sunderland, who was by far and away our first choice.

[...]

He was my number one managerial target for the last five appointments, but his desire to honour existing contracts meant we were not able to bring him to Sunderland previously.

To be able to finally welcome him as our manager is fantastic news for the club.  

The fact that David has committed to a four-year deal is a clear demonstration of his belief in what he can achieve here. It is our aim to become a better, stronger and more stable football club and with a manager of David’s calibre and experience at the helm, we have a fantastic opportunity to begin looking upwards, rather than downwards every season.

"

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

Sunderland really have been scraping the barrel in the Premier League in recent campaigns. The Black Cats have had to perform miracles to keep themselves in the division at times, and last season’s late heroics summed up their recent fortunes.

However, Moyes is hoping to turn their luck around, and he told the club website that he’s excited to get started: "I am delighted to have joined Sunderland. I am relishing the challenge and excited by the opportunity. I have taken over a big British club with a great support and I’m looking forward to working in the Premier League again. I look forward to continuing the good work done by Sam."

There were plenty of messages of support for Moyes on social media, including from Gary Lineker, who said it was good to see the Scot back in England’s top flight:

Moyes kicks off his Sunderland tenure with something of a baptism of fire, as he must take his new team to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on the first day of the 2016/17 campaign on August 13.

His Stadium of Light bow will come just over a week later on August 21 against Middlesbrough.