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Chris Coleman has quit Wales to take over the reigns at Championship strugglers Sunderland. The Welshman will succeed Simon Grayson, who was sacked earlier this month after a run of bad results that saw the Black Cats rooted to the bottom of the Championship.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) confirmed Chris Coleman had resigned from his position with immediate effect. Coleman, 47, took over from the late Gary Speed in 2012 and guided them to a historic run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals.
Coleman guided Wales to semi-finals at Euro 2016
The highs of 2016 couldn’t be repeated this year, however, as Wales failed to reach the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, after they were beaten in their final group game by Ireland.
Ex-Wales winger Ryan Giggs and West Brom manager Tony Pulis are the early favourites to succeed Coleman, according to the bookmakers.
Ryan Giggs is favourite to take over
FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford said, "We are extremely disappointed to see Chris' tenure as Wales manager 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 as national team manager. 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 lure of club management was too strong for Coleman
Coleman’s desire to return to club management has never been questioned, but his choice of club is surprising and many believe it to be a gamble. Sunderland are a huge club, but they are struggling at the bottom of the Championship after relegation from the Premier League last season.
It could go one way or the other for Coleman: If he turns around Sunderland’s fortunes, his stock will go up and will become a sought after manager. If he fails to turn them around, we might not see him in top level management again.
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www.telegraph.co.uk