Sunderland have appointed David Moyes as their new manager on a four-year deal.
Moyes replaces Sam Allardyce who left the Black Cats to take charge of England.
The former Preston, Everton and Manchester United boss has been out of work since leaving Real Sociedad in November.
Upon his appointment, the Scot told Sunderland’s official website: “I am delighted to have joined Sunderland. I am relishing the challenge and excited by the opportunity.
“I have taken over a big British club, with a great support and I’m looking forward to working in the Premier League again. I look forward to continuing the good work done by Sam.”
Sunderland chairman Ellis Short added that Moyes had been a long-term target for the club.
He said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome David Moyes to Sunderland, who was by far and away our first choice.
“He is a man whose football pedigree speaks for itself and is someone I have long admired. I have spoken with him on many occasions and I have always been hugely impressed. He was my number one managerial target for the last five appointments, but his desire to honour existing contracts meant we were not able to bring him to Sunderland previously. To be able to finally welcome him as our manager is fantastic news for the club.”
It has been reported that Moyes was contacted soon after Allardyce was interviewed by the Football Association about their managerial vacancy.
Moyes will inherit a side that Allardyce kept in the Premier League with a game to spare last season after failing to win any of their opening nine fixtures of the campaign. However, they were only beaten once, by eventual champions Leicester, in their final 11 games.
So far this summer Sunderland have not signed any new players to the squad although Emanuele Giaccherini and Santiago Vergini have been sold while Wes Brown, Steven Fletcher and Danny Graham were released.
Moyes becomes Sunderland’s sixth permanent manager since Steve Bruce’s departure in November 2011.
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