Amid all the Will Still and Sunderland drama emerging from France and Belgium, the news in Sweden surrounding Kim Hellberg has been a bit calmer.
The young manager was seen as a surprise candidate for the Black Cats, who clearly decided to think outside the box to replace Tony Mowbray.
A report on Tuesday in Sweden suggested Hellberg would not be taking over at Sunderland, preferring to go to Hammarby instead, but Hellberg himself took time out on Wednesday to speak to Fotbollskanalen to clarify the situation.
About the Hammarby news, he said: “I saw it. There have been many things. I was probably the favourite in Sunderland for a while too. That’s how this industry works. There is often some kind of truth in most things that are written when it is written that way, but the honest answer is that I haven’t signed anything.
“Nothing is set in stone, but hopefully we’re getting closer to a point where something will be. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that it can swing in all sort of directions.”
The conversation then steers more towards Sunderland and the interest they had in Hellberg.
He said: “Again, we come to the scouting and that Sunderland have come across my name and that there has been contact and meetings. I hardly know how close it has been, but there have been meetings and it’s been fun and interesting to have been part of the process.”
Hellberg did say it was great for Sunderland to have taken an interest in him, labelling the Black Cats as a ‘fantastic big club with good people’ at the helm.
While he isn’t in the know about who will be the next man in charge at the Stadium of Light, he did make it clear it won’t be him.
He added: “As I understand it, they were down to one or two candidates to choose from. It was getting close. It feels like I was there for quote a while, but it will be someone else who manages that club.
“But it was a great experience to have been involved in the process, just as it has been to have met other clubs. It has been an educational period.”
Therefore, while there is still a big question mark over the candidacy of Will Still for the Sunderland job, we can now safely rule out the idea of Hellberg taking over.
