Report: Allardyce's England hire delayed by compensation quibbles
Sam Allardyce's appointment as England manager could be drawn out another day as the Football Association negotiates a compensation package with the gaffer's current employer Sunderland.
FA chairman Greg Dyke confirmed the Dudley native as the chosen man to oversee the country's national team on Thursday, with a two-year deal worth £3.5-million per annum touted as the agreement. The unveiling, however, is temporarily delayed.
Related: Allardyce set for England job, confirms FA chairman Dyke
Black Cats owner Ellis Short is angered by the FA's poaching of Allardyce and wants a payment that reflects how much the hiring disrupted the club's preseason preparations, reports the Guardian's Louise Taylor. This means that appointment may not be announced until Friday, with his official introduction coming some time next week.
Allardyce travelled to Hartlepool United for a friendly with Sunderland on Wednesday, but didn't man the touchline in the second half as stories surfaced of his impending England hire.
As well as unsettling a rare and short spell of stability at Sunderland, Allardyce's talks over the England job appear to have been harmful to the club's transfer activity. Despite barely staving off the threat of relegation last term, there are no incoming transfers on Wearside so far this summer.
It's expected that former Everton and Manchester United handler David Moyes is being lined up as Allardyce's successor, and it's hoped the transition would be as smooth as possible. His predecessor's methods - a sporting director is no longer required, training practices improved, and scouting structure upgraded - are apparently popular at the Stadium of Light and likely to be kept in place regardless of the change in overseer.
Once described as an advocate for "19th-century" football by Jose Mourinho, the new Manchester United boss surprisingly lent his support for Allardyce as England manager on Thursday.
"He is more than ready," Mourinho said of the former Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United boss. "He is a good motivator and can create a good team spirit."
England's next competitive outing comes Sept. 4 when its World Cup 2018 qualification campaign begins in Slovakia.