Why Garry Monk Is The Right Man To Take Over As Sunderland Boss
Championship side Sunderland continue their managerial search, with reports suggesting that former Leeds boss Garry Monk and Aberdeen’s manager Derek McInnes most interested in the job.
Both men are due to be interviewed this week. McInnes has kept a positive public persona in Aberdeen, but with Ryan Jack and potentially Jonny Hayes leaving the club, he must know he will not have the same sort of squad to work with next season and might look to move elsewhere.
Sunderland’s finances are not great though – a £1million compensation for McInnes may well scupper a deal and leave Monk in pole position to land the role. Debts at the club are well over £100million and so every penny counts this summer.
The other thing which goes in Monk’s favour is his record in England. McInnes has done well at the Dons, but when he was the manager of Bristol City between 2011 and 2013, his points-per-game ratio was just 1.03. In contrast, Monk has averaged 1.47 points per game in England across both the Championship and the Premier League with Leeds and Swansea. At Leeds alone, it was 1.70, which reads rather well.
Even with Monk though, there is a stumbling block. Having done an excellent job at a whirlwind of a club, he decided not to renew his contract and cited budget concerns. These same concerns will definitely be prevalent at Sunderland, though he may feel that he already has a better squad to work with than the one he would have been left with at Elland Road.
Monk has also been linked with Sunderland’s north east rivals Middlesbrough. The Teessiders sacked Aitor Karanka in March and are looking for a replacement too.
Monk is in his infancy as a manager and in theory, he will improve with each job he takes. Whatever happened at Leeds last season would have served as a lesson and there is no doubt that the fans see him as a top candidate. The fact that he has expressed an interest in the role is a positive in itself.
David Moyes was on the back foot last season before a ball was kicked in the Premier League, stating that his arrival after the first pre-season friendly was bad timing. As of now, Sunderland have already announced the bulk of their pre-season programme and so they need to make an appointment quickly.
Monk is interested in the Boro role too, but looks a good fit for Sunderland if only they can get a deal done.