Sheffield Wednesday ‘close to appointing’ former Sunderland and Manchester City figure after David Bruce appointment | OneFootball

According to The Star, Sheffield Wednesday are close to appointing former Sunderland chief Simon Wilson as sporting director after the takeover by Arise Capital Partners.

The move is not yet complete. The 43-year-old is understood to have met key figures at Hillsborough this week and agreed outline terms.

If concluded, Wilson would be the second former Sunderland figure to arrive, following David Bruce’s appointment as CEO. Bruce was confirmed after leaving Sunderland, where he played a significant off-field role.

Wilson served as chief football officer under Martin Bain and David Moyes, joining from Manchester City as Sunderland tried to reshape operations. He worked on scouting, recruitment and academy restructuring during a turbulent spell that included relegation from the Premier League and the slide towards League One.

His reputation has since grown at Stockport County. He arrived in 2019 as sporting director, later also CEO, and oversaw National League and League Two titles plus a third-place finish in League One this season, with a play-off bid.

His exit was announced at the end of April after a scheduled six-year review with owner Mark Stott. He left by mutual consent on excellent terms, with Stott praising his impact.

Before Stockport and Sunderland, he worked within City Football Group, primarily at Manchester City, and consulted for UEFA and Ajax. The report also said Portsmouth sporting director Rich Hughes was considered, and that the new owners are said to want League One know-how and a promotion record after relegation from the Championship at the end of this season and the end of Dejphon Chansiri’s chairmanship.

Source: Sunderland Echo