Sunderland are set to appoint a new director of football
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11:30, 22 Jun 2025
(Photo by Anthony Dibon/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Florent Ghisolfi impressed during his time with French club Nice(Image: (Photo by Anthony Dibon/Icon Sport via Getty Images))
Sunderland appear to have beaten off competition from a number of top clubs to land Florent Ghisolfi as their new director of football following promotion back to the Premier League.
Reports in French media claim that the Black Cats have seen off a number of high profile European clubs - including derby rivals Newcastle United - to land the former AS Roma man.
The Magpies are looking for a new sporting director after Paul Mitchell's shock departure. Mitchell leaves at the end of the month, just a year after arriving at St James' Park to replace Dan Ashworth.
Ghisolfi is highly-rated on the European scene. The Frenchman oversaw transfers at AS Roma last season, helped the Serie A side finish in the top-five for the first time last season, missing out on Champions League qualification by just one point.
His appointment at Sunderland is seen as something of a coup. Ghisolfi will work alongside current sporting director Kristjaan Speakman, who remains highly valued having helped guide Sunderland from League One back to the Premier League.
L'Equipe claim that the 40-year-old's relationship with Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris was key to the move. The pair previously worked together at FC Lorient, and have maintained a strong professional relationship ever since.
Sunderland owner Kyril-Louis Drefus also played a key role, according to L'Equipe. They wrote: "While the first rumors surrounding a departure from Roma had been circulating for two weeks, the former Nice man had received several expressions of interest in the last few hours. From Juventus Turin, Fiorentina, Newcastle, and the Saudi club Neom.
"But Sunderland had been laying the groundwork for a longer time. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Sunderland's majority shareholder since 2022, was looking for a young, data-savvy player to strengthen his sporting leadership.
"He had identified the profile of the former Lens sporting director several years ago. Once his departure from Rome was negotiated and confirmed, he quickly validated the idea of a potential arrival."
Ghisolfi's time at Lens is particularly instructive. He oversaw promotion to Ligue 1 before they later qualified for the Champions League, and he experienced success both in the transfer market and on the pitch during his time at the club.
He also worked at OGC Nice with Ineos between 2022 and 2024 where Francesco Farioli was keen to retain his services before Roma convinced him to move to the Serie A last summer.
The Ghisolfi-Le Bris relationship, and Sunderland connection, has already been seen through the transfer of playmaker Enzo Le Fee.
Sunderland are understood to have outlined their sporting strategy and how they hope to progress to Ghisolfi, putting him at the centre of their operations as they look to invest the Premier League money wisely and continue to create a sustainable model which focuses on identifying some of the best young players throughout Europe.
Louis-Dreyfus is well aware of the challenges Sunderland face in reversing the recent trend of promoted clubs being relegated immediately back to the Premier League.
The Black Cats have a sizeable transfer budget to work with after promotion and the sales of Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson.