Niall Quinn, the Sunderland chairman, remains confident that Roy Keane will still be manager of the club next season despite the speculation linking him with the vacant manager's job at Chelsea.

In the wake of Avram Grant's dismissal from Stamford Bridge, a number of high profile names have been linked to the post, with Keane's name among them.

However, Quinn expects the former Manchester United captain to be on Wearside for the forseeable future.

"I am not overly surprised that Roy has been linked," Quinn said. "Roy is still under contract at Sunderland for next season and I am pretty happy at this stage that he will be with us for a long time to come."

Keane took over at the Stadium of Light in August 2006 in his first management post, and has since masterminded the club's return to the Barclays Premier League and its consolidation in the top flight.