The former Arsenal and England international was approached over the Sunderland manager’s job before the club turned elsewhere
Former Arsenal defender Steve Bould was offered the chance to become Sunderland manager in a previously undisclosed behind-the-scenes development involving Niall Quinn.
The revelation emerged in Arsenal’s matchday programme last weekend, where Quinn was reflecting on former teammates from his playing career and their suitability for management. His comments carried an unexpected Sunderland connection.
Bould and Quinn had been reunited on Wearside in the summer of 1999, when the former Arsenal captain joined newly promoted Sunderland for £500,000. He was later appointed club captain following Kevin Ball’s departure and played a key role under Peter Reid as Sunderland finished seventh in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on European qualification. His time at the Stadium of Light was curtailed by injury, however, and he retired in September 2000 after making 21 league appearances.
Several years later, Sunderland turned to Roy Keane when appointing a new manager in August 2006. Keane inherited a side sitting second bottom of the Championship and went on to oversee a dramatic turnaround, guiding the club to promotion and the title the following season. His spell would later prove turbulent, before he resigned in December 2008 after citing differences with the club’s hierarchy.
It has now emerged that Keane was not Quinn’s first choice, with the former Sunderland chairman revealed that he had turned to his former teammate Bold after taking control of he club from Sir Bob Murray following relegation from the Premier League . “I always felt Steve Bould would make a good manager,” Quinn said. “In fact, I offered him the Sunderland job before Roy Keane.”
Bould is regarded as one of Arsenal’s most reliable defenders of the modern era, enjoying an 11-year spell at Highbury after joining from Stoke City in 1988. A commanding centre-back, Bould made 287 league appearances for the Gunners and was a key figure in some of the club’s most successful sides under George Graham.
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During his time in north London, Bould won two league titles, an FA Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and multiple domestic honours, while also being named Arsenal Player of the Season in 1990–91. His partnership with Tony Adams became a defining feature of Arsenal’s famously resolute defence during that period, with Bould’s positional discipline and aerial strength central to their success. Bould moved to Sunderland in the summer of 1999 following Arsenal’s title-winning campaign, joining a newly promoted side under Peter Reid. However, persistent injury problems limited his time on Wearside, and arthritis contributed to his retirement in 2000 after just 21 league appearances for the club.
Following his playing career, Bould transitioned into coaching and built a strong reputation within Arsenal’s backroom staff, spending seven years as assistant manager and playing a key role in the development of several defensive units. He later gained further experience abroad with Lommel before returning to English football as first-team coach at Queens Park Rangers.
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