Sunderland have today announced Lee Johnson as their new head coach on an initial two-and-a-half year deal.

Reports emerged over the past 24 hours suggesting the former Bristol City chief was the frontrunner to succeed Phil Parkinson, and the club confirmed the news on their official site.

That means Johnson will be in the home dugout today as the Black Cats take on Wigan at the Stadium of Light.

It has been a busy period for the Wearside outfit, with Kristjaan Speakman appointed as the club's new sporting director last night.

With a new takeover in the pipeline, these changes will be welcome by Sunderland fans, as they look to kick-on with this new structure.

Johnson is inheriting a Sunderland side that are currently 7th in the table, although they only trail the second automatic promotion place by five points.

Bringing the 39-year-old to the club will be considered a coup for Sunderland, as Johnson had previously done well with Bristol City in the Championship over recent years, whilst they also a memorable cup runs.

Quiz: Which club did Sunderland sign each of these 25 players from?

The verdict

This is a very good appointment for Sunderland, and the fans should be excited about how the future looks right now.

There won't have been many clubs outside the Championship that Johnson would've considered joining, so he clearly sees a lot of potential in the Black Cats, which is understandable given the size of the club.

Now, the focus will be on the football, as the team look to pick up three points for the new boss this afternoon.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.