Chris Coleman resigns from Welsh post ahead of move to Sunderland
Chris Coleman has resigned as Wales boss and has reportedly agreed to take over at Championship club Sunderland.
The 47-year-old is expected to be in place as Black Cats manager by Sunday, ready to take charge of his first match at home to Aston Villa on Tuesday night.
Coleman is understood to have met with the Welsh FA earlier on Friday – a month after Wales missed out on qualification to next year’s World Cup in Russia – and informed them of his decision.
He ends a roller-coaster six-year spell in charge that included an historic Euro 2016 semi-final in France, and FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford said: “We are extremely disappointed to see Chris’ tenure come to an end.
“The FAW and Wales as a nation will be eternally grateful for the job he has done over the last six years, from travelling the length and breadth of Wales outside of the media spotlight to talk to players and supporters, to guiding us to the semi-finals of the European Championships.
“We wish Chris the very best of luck for the future as he returns to club management, a desire for which he has always been honest and open about.”
The FAW have also confirmed Coleman’s assistant Kit Symons’ resignation. After drawing with Panama in a friendly last week, Coleman said he was hoping for a quick resolution on his future with Wales and, at that point, had expected to stay on.
He said: “I hope that’s not going to be the last game. I think I am the man to lead them but it is a bit more to it than that.”
But the former Fulham, Real Sociedad and Coventry manager is poised to return to club management for the first time since 2012, when he left Greek side Athlitiki Enosi Larissa, to take charge of a club struggling at the bottom of the Championship.
Ahead of Saturday’s clash with Millwall, for which caretaker boss Robbie Stockdale will be in charge, Sunderland have not won a home league game since December last year.
They are understood to have held talks with Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom and were also interested in Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill as they searched for a successor to the sacked Simon Grayson.
