Leeds United: Manager search latest

Ex-Swansea City manager Garry Monk is the new favourite for the Leeds United job.

Leeds have commenced talks with former Swansea manager Garry Monk over the vacant manager’s position, according to reports.

But Whites chairman Cellino was only spotted arriving at Elland Road around lunch-time and there has been no official confirmation that Monk is present at Elland Road.

Cellino was not thought to have been at Elland Road this morning.

Steve Evans was sacked by Leeds on Tuesday night despite steering the Whites to a mid-table finish.

And now it seems that Monk is present at Elland Road this morning with talks ongoing about him becoming the seventh head coach of chairman Cellino’s rein.

Monk is now as short as 1-10 to be named the club’s next head coach with Sky Bet and that is the shortest price anyone has been in the last fortnight.

The 37-year-old enjoyed a fine ten years as a player at Swansea - as a centre-back - before taking over the managerial reins in February 2014.

Swansea were 12th in the Premier League upon his appointment and Monk’s first game in charge resulted in a 3-0 win at home to arch rivals Cardiff City.

A run of nine games without a victory followed but four wins out of Swansea’s last seven games steered the Welsh side to survival and a finish of 12th.

Victory at Manchester United on the opening day of the following season proved a sign of things to come for Monk’s Swansea who went on to record their highest ever Premier League finish in 2014-15 with a record points tally as a return of 56 points saw them end up in eighth.

But after a great 2014-15, it went wrong for Monk at the start of this season and after one win in 12 games he was sacked on December 9.

Overall, Monk had 77 games in charge of Swansea, winning 28, drawing 17 and losing 32 for win per cent rate of 36.36.

That is about the same as former Whites head coaches Steve Evans and Brian McDermott but obviously Monk’s record is based on games in the Premier.

As a player, Monk made 223 league appearances for Swansea, with his journey beginning down in League Two in 2004.

Seven years later, having become captain of the Swans, the side were promoted to the Premier in 2011.