Paolo di Canio in as Sunderland boss

Unsurprisingly, the move’s caused controversy, as Paolo di Canio is a controversial man. His managerial acumen isn’t in question, but rather his apparent political beliefs -- he’s long been linked to far-right wing politics and, as many would have it, is an admirer of Benito Mussolini. As a professional sportswriter, I’m obviously not remotely qualified to comment on the subtleties of di Canio’s political beliefs or psyche, but it will not have escaped the astute reader’s attention that the UK football media has an unfortunate habit of generating their own spurious narratives out of thin air in order to court attention.

What matters, as far as Sunderland are concerned, is whether or not di Canio is capable of leading a squad without their only remotely threatening goalscorer out of the relegation battle over the course of the next seven matches. I’m inclined to say it’s not going to happen. But time will tell.