Sunderland’s largest shareholder, Ellis Short, wants to appoint a top foreign manager and Avram Grant is one of his preferred candidates.

But following the resignation of Roy Keane earlier this month, the US financier is in conflict with chairman Niall Quinn and his Drumaville Consortium who want to appoint a British manager.

If Short gets his way and Grant is appointed, then the Israeli could find himself once again backed by a foreign billionaire but unloved by the fans, media and with many enemies in the club’s hierarchy.