Leicester defeat the last straw for chairman and club line up Brendan Rodgers and Mark Warburton as candidates to replace him
Garry Monk is poised to leave Swansea City in the next 48 hours and become the fourth Premier League casualty of the season. His spell as Swansea manager will come to an end after talks with the club’s board, following their 3-0 home defeat by Leicester City on Saturday.
Swansea will have to pay about £3 million in compensation to sack Monk but the chairman, Huw Jenkins, feels that the Welsh club have no option but to make a change after an alarming run of results.
• Why Swansea must keep faith with Garry Monk
Monk, 36, led Swansea to eighth place last season, their highest Premier League finish in his first full campaign, but the defeat by Leicester means that he has secured only one win from the past 12 league and cup games.
Jenkins had been determined to give the club’s former defender time to mount a revival but the manner of their defeat against Claudio Ranieri’s team has forced the Swansea board’s hand.
Brendan Rodgers, a former Swansea manager, is likely to be targeted for a return to South Wales though it is believed that he wants his next post to be abroad.
Liverpool dismissed Rodgers, 42, in October after a disappointing start to the campaign and he would be a popular choice with supporters after guiding Swansea out of the Championship. But he may wait for an opportunity at a bigger club and could view a return to Swansea as a huge risk, especially with the squad seemingly heading for a relegation battle.
David Moyes, the former Manchester United and Real Sociedad manager, has made it clear that he does not want the position so Swansea may even seek a short-term appointment until the end of the season. Mark Warburton, the Rangers manager, could emerge as a potential contender and has support in the Swansea boardroom. Reports in Italy have linked Walter Mazzarri, the former Inter Milan manager, with the post.
Swansea are poised to announce Monk’s exit in the next few days after extensive negotiations between the two parties, ending an association that began in 2004. Monk played in all four divisions for the club, and was captain for most of his career, before succeeding Michael Laudrup as manager in February last year.
He was even mentioned as a possible contender for the England job after an outstanding first full campaign and signed a new three-year contract in July. But this season has been a struggle and Jenkins is understood to be concerned that relegation to the Championship is a distinct possibility unless changes are made.
There have been suggestions that some of the senior players have lobbied for a change too, while it has also been alleged there were issues with Pep Clotet, Monk’s assistant, within the dressing room.
Clotet, who came close to joining the Championship club Brentford last month, and the attack coach James Beattie are also expected to leave the Liberty Stadium.
Swansea’s players will return to training on Tuesday, with the club under pressure to bring clarity to the situation. After the defeat by Leicester, Monk had pledged to battle on but bookmakers have suspended bets on him becoming the next top-flight manager to lose his job.
Swansea face a daunting trip to Manchester City this weekend, with the Welsh club just one point above the relegation zone.
credit: the telegraph
