Sunderland are set to appoint Birmingham City’s Kristjaan Speakman as the club's new technical director according to Football Insider. 

It is claimed that Speakman is in advanced talks with the Black Cats, and is set to leave Birmingham after 14 years with the Blues as their academy manager.

Speakman will reportedly be involved in the process to appoint a new manager in the near future, as well as having a say in finding potential transfer targets in the New Year and moving forward.

It's not been the best of starts in League One for Sunderland on the pitch, with the Black Cats currently sat seventh in the third-tier standings.

A poor run of form saw Phil Parkinson relieved of his duties, with the club now looking to appoint a new manager to turn around their slump in recent results.

Sunderland are set to return to action this weekend, when they take on struggling Wigan Athletic at the Stadium of Light, in a match they'll be expected to pick up three points from.

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The Verdict: 

This is an interesting one.

Speakman clearly feels as though now is the time for him to move on from Birmingham City after 14 years with the club, and he'll be hoping to make a positive impact with Sunderland.

His first job is likely to be involved in the process of appointing a new manager with Sunderland, with the Black Cats still without one after relieving Phil Parkinson of his duties after a poor run of results in League One.

The Black Cats haven't been good enough this season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the new manager add to their squad in the January transfer window, as additional depth is needed at the earliest of opportunities.