It was perhaps the worst kept secret in football, and it seemingly got to the point where even Garry Monk knew his time was up. Saturday’s 0-3 heavy defeat to Leicester has ultimately cost Monk his job as manager of Swansea; although the writing has been on the wall for a while.
The Swans’ chairman Huw Jenkins has an excellent track record in appointing young, dynamic managers who adhere to his progressive style of football, and previous incumbents at the Liberty Stadium include Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup.
When looking at the Next Permanent Swansea Manager market, as is often the case in all these scenarios, it is usually easier to rule out a few of the top contenders rather than ink somebody in.
So we can see that David Moyes is the early 4/1 favourite, but we can confidently sidestep him. His style is not that of a continental, contemporary passing style, and while the move would suit Moyes in the sense that it would return him to the Premier League at an appropriate level, it is uncertain whether Jenkins would feel that he fits the bill.
And in a surprising twist, Rodgers (8/1) has been ruled out of the running. It has been reported by Sky Sports in two different postings that ‘Rodgers is not keen on returning to Swansea to replace the sacked Garry Monk because he’s got his mind set on the England job next summer’, and ‘Brendan Rodgers has snubbed a move back to former club Swansea because he feels the time is not right to make a comeback.’ So that’s that, then.
So who remains at the top of the pack?
Gus Poyet (4/1)
The Uruguayan certainly possesses the progressive style that Jenkins and Swansea favour, but having just signed a one-year deal at AEK Athens until next summer presumably Poyet is a non-runner in this market.
He did a reasonable job at Sunderland – they avoided relegation in his tenure anyway – but the Black Cats supporters never quite took to him. He seems a short price in the market, and it would be a surprise if he was announced as Swansea’s new manager.
Mark Warburton (10/1)
The former Brentford and now Rangers boss is carving out a decent reputation for himself as a manager with a thoroughly modern style of management, and that would fit neatly into the Swansea ethos.
He nearly took the Bees to the Premier League with a neat passing style and a continental transfer philosophy, while at Rangers his side are currently waltzing to the Scottish Championship title.
Warburton’s loyalty to the cause could be tested by the Swans, although recently when linked with the Fulham job he reacted strongly, as reported by the Daily Mail. “Both bemused and frustrated by shockingly incorrect stories from certain media outlets. I am going nowhere and no club has approached me.
“We are into a long-term project at Rangers and we are in a good place right now.”
Dennis Bergkamp (16/1)
As an exponent of ‘total football’, Bergkamp’s links to the Swansea post are obvious. But having never managed a senior side, it would surely be something of a curveball if he were appointed as manager of a Premier League side fighting for their top flight status.
A more likely candidate surely would be Frank De Boer (20/1), to whom Bergkamp is assistant at Ajax. The Dutchman is leading the Amsterdam side to glory once again in the Eredivisie, so would he be prepared to swap the calm and peaceful life in the Netherlands for the rough and tumble of English football?
And that’s why, despite the reports, we have to favour Rodgers; regardless of his lengthening price. Money talks, he’s much loved by the Swansea faithful, and did a wonderful job there before being lured away by Liverpool. All of the pieces fit in this particular jigsaw, and it makes smart betting sense.