Nottingham Forest fans may be wondering where Sabri Lamouchi is right now – and he could seen be heading back to England with Sunderland.
Forest brought in Lamouchi as a shock replacement for Martin O’Neill back in the summer of 2019.
Previously in charge of Ivory Coast, Qatari said El Jaish and Ligue 1 outfit Rennes, Lamouchi looked like a strange choice at the time.
The 50-year-old guided Forest to a seventh place finish in his first season though, narrowly missing out on the playoffs.
Three points from the last six games killed Forest’s hopes that season, and fans will sadly remember that 4-1 home defeat to Stoke City on the final day of the campaign as the pivotal moment in the Lamouchi reign.
Forest only needed a draw in that game and were somehow battered, missing out on a playoff spot to Swansea City – ironically managed by now-Forest boss Steve Cooper.
Lamouchi couldn’t get Forest back on track and was swiftly sacked in October 2020, just four games into the new season. Forest had lost all of them.
Just over a week after leaving Forest, Lamouchi had returned to Qatar with Al-Duhail. 18 wins in 32 games there wasn’t bad, but Lamouchi resigned in August 2021 and hasn’t returned to management since.
That return could be on the cards though because The Times claim that Sunderland are weighing up a move for Lamouchi.
Lee Johnson lost his job last weekend and Sunderland are now weighing up replacements, with Roy Keane a key name in the frame.
Lamouchi is another option though, and Forest fans may love to see the Frenchman make his return to English football.
Things ended badly for Lamouchi at Forest but there were great moments too. The atmosphere during the 2-0 home win over Leeds United will live long in the memory.
It’s a shame Lamouchi couldn’t get Forest back on track, but he may now have a chance to re-write his story in English football with Sunderland.