Wycombe Wanderers closing in on managerial appointment of 38-y/o Championship coach | OneFootball

Mike Dodds is set to depart Sunderland to become the new Wycombe Wanderers head coach.

Sunderland assistant coach Mike Dodds is reportedly set to become the next head coach of Wycombe Wanderers.

The 38-year-old is a highly reputable coach, having been academy manager at Birmingham City and nurturing talent such as Jude Bellingham. He moved to Wearside in 2021, and has since been an interim manager for Sunderland three times in the last four years.

Wycombe have been hunting for someone to replace Matt Bloomfield, following his departure for Luton Town last month, and it seems the Chairboys are honing in on his successor.

Dodds emerged as a front-runner for the job on Friday, and now his departure seems likely, according to the latest report by the Sunderland Echo.

Mike Dodds set to become next Wycombe Wanderers boss

Things seem to have moved very quickly in this deal, as Dodds reportedly emerged as a live contender for the job out of nowhere on Friday, and looks set to leave the Mackems behind to pursue a new opportunity.

The Sunderland Echo reported on Saturday night that the 38-year-old is now expected to leave the Stadium of Light to take on his first full-time headcoach gig at Adams Park.

This new revelation looks to be bringing the almost three-week-long hunt for Bloomfield's successor to a close. Wanderers were keen on Randers boss, Rasmus Bertelsen, but were unable to convince the Dane to make the move to England. However, reports now suggest that Dan Rice has found his man after the setback of the rejection by Bertelsen.

The ex-Birmingham man is a well-loved figure on Wearside, having great relationships with the players in his squad. This will be a boost for Wycombe, as the current Blues squad is already very tight-knit, so the addition of Dodds may boost that even further.

Mike Dodds appointment risky but exciting for Wycombe Wanderers

As mentioned, Dodds is yet to experience being a full-time head coach. The closest taste he's got to that was the three interim spells he took at Sunderland, following the departures of Lee Johnson, Tony Mowbray, and Michael Beale. His record in these matches is less than impressive, with just four victories to his name.

However, it's no secret that the young coach inherited a mentally depleted squad from Beale in his most recent stint as interim boss, which certainly had an impact on results. It would be naive to look into these results as a reflection of his head coaching abilities.

Whilst there is a big risk involved in appointing a rookie boss in a promotion race, the 38-year-old clearly aligns with the ambitions that Wycombe have, with his incredible record of developing young players. The likes of Richard Kone and Joe Low could absolutely thrive even more under Dodds, which would be a massive boost for the club.

It's been made no secret that the Wanderers squad is internally-motivated, which should be a great environment for Dodds to settle into quickly. With the future of Wycombe looking to be very youth-orientated, this could be a very exciting appointment for the Buckinghamshire side.