Sunderland’s assistant head coach has departed the club by mutual consent
Régis Le Bris has addressed the surprise departure from the club of assistant head coach Luciano Vulcano.
Vulcano was absent from the dugout on Monday night as Sunderland beat Burnley 3-0 at the Stadium of Light, having departed the club by mutual consent. The former Fiorentina coach was handed a prominent role upon his arrival in the summer as part of a more widespread reshuffling and bolstering of the senior coaching set up.
Sunderland also appointed Neil Cutler as goalkeeping coach, meaning that Alessandro Barcherini was handed wider responsibilities within the group. Isidre Ramón Madir was also appointed as assistant coach, with a focus on opposition analysis.
Le Bris said he respected Vulcano highly but said he hadn’t been able to find the right fit within the new coaching group.
“First of all, I appreciated working with him, as a person and as a professional,” Le Bris said.
“We decided to stop the collaboration because we didn't find the right fit in our current staff. The staff is always evolving, like players. We have young members of staff, some of them can step up, some of them can just stay at the same level, and our structure is really dynamic. So for Luciano it wasn't easy to find the right position, and rather than forcing things, we decided together that it was better to stop there.
“Even if we stopped here, he helped the coaching staff, it's really obvious. But after that, you have to feel good in your daily dynamic, and it was the case for both sides. So I repeat, rather than forcing things, it's better to stop and wish him the best. I think he's a good professional, so he will succeed as well.”
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Régis Le Bris issues Sunderland team news update ahead of Arsenal
Elsewhere in his press conference, Le Bris confirmed that deadline-day signing Nilsun Angulo could be part of the Sunderland squad this weekend.
“Nilson will arrive this evening,” Le Bris said.
“We'll see when he'll be with us. He played a lot, so he's fit.Now it's a question of connection with his teammates, with the squad. It could be quick and I hope it will be the case. We'll see, but he could be involved on Saturday.”
Granit Xhaka remains sidelined but is making progress in his recovery: “No update on Granit yet, but he's doing well. He was running on the treadmill today, so it's positive.”
Omar Alderete is fit to feature despite being substituted in the latter stages of the Burnley win.
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