Chris Coleman Announced as Sunderland Manager After Resigning from Wales Job

Former Wales national team manager Chris Coleman, who only just resigned from the job after the nation missed out on a spot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, has been announced as the new coach of Sunderland.

The club announced the news via their official website. 

Per the report, Coleman has already guided the Black Cats through a training session, and he will be in charge of the Championship fixture against Aston Villa. Chief executive Martin Bain was excited to add the 47-year-old to the staff:

"The football club has conducted a thorough process over the last three weeks to identify the best manager for the job, before and after which Chris was the clear first choice.

"We are delighted that he and Kit Symons, his assistant manager, have joined us, and are now focused on working together to get the football club moving in the right direction."

Coleman previously had stints with Fulham, Real Sociedad, Coventry City and AEL, with his greatest successes coming at Fulham and the Welsh national team. He guided the latter side to UEFA Euro 2016, where Wales booked a remarkable upset win over Belgium.

Sunderland have struggled in the Championship this season, ranking dead-last and taking just a single win from 17 fixtures. The Black Cats are in dire need of a boost, and sportswriter Jonathan Wilson fears Coleman might not be able to deliver given his recent setbacks:

Wales' qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup was underwhelming, and Coleman's cautious nature was punished by Martin O'Neill's Irish squad. Ireland took the win in Cardiff to qualify for the play-offs.

Sunderland have been free-falling since last season, when the club finished last in the Premier League.