Giggs, Bergkamp and Bielsa the contenders for Monk's job at Swansea
With Garry Monk sacked, Swansea are scrambling to appoint a successor. The club are a single point away from the relegation zone and have just over half a season to save their Premier League status, so chairman Huw Jenkins has to make the right choice.
Although Jenkins will probably surprise everyone with an appointment out of leftfield, here's a look at some of the current favourites for the job -- and one fantasy choice ...
Ryan Giggs
The Manchester United legend has current experience as assistant manager under Louis van Gaal, but given Swansea's present predicament, the club might be better off finding someone with a better, more proven pedigree. What Giggs might lack in managerial credentials he makes up for with his reputation. But is that enough?
Giggs' role at Old Trafford is rather confusing as we are unsure how much influence he actually has. He has limited experience as a manager, winning two, drawing one and losing one during his interim spell as United boss in 2014. It's a risky appointment and represents a gamble to expect the Cardiff-born Giggs to mastermind a reversal in fortunes, but at least he has had some grounding. The problem is, he's United's. If it all works out well for him and Swansea, there's every chance he'll leave to return to United and replace the troubled Van Gaal.
It's an interesting choice, sure. But ultimately it's a rather short term option fraught with caveats.
Suitability: 5/10
Avram Grant
Swansea sacked Monk because they were scared of being relegated, so there seems little sense in employing relegation-specialist Grant, who oversaw the demotion of both West Ham United and Portsmouth. In fact, you could argue that Swansea need the exact opposite of Grant -- someone who has saved clubs from the drop rather than been powerless to do so. He is currently manager of the Ghana national team, so there's a weak connection with Swansea's Ghanian star Andre Ayew, though that's surely not enough to see Grant installed as manager.
Grant took Ghana to the final of the African Nations Cup before losing to Ivory Coast on penalties -- he's now lost two major finals after a shootout following United's win over Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final -- and his appointment would be met with scepticism among Swansea fans.
Suitability: 2/10
Dennis Bergkamp
The Arsenal great has been assistant manager of Ajax under Frank De Boer for the past four seasons but like Giggs, he has not managed a team in a top league on his own before. What's more, Bergkamp and Ajax are used to enjoying the run of the Dutch Eredivise next to PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord. Swansea need a man with experience of hard times and difficult situations with underdog clubs, not comparative smooth running with powerhouses. This is another potential appointment which would smack of giving a former playing great a shot at management, rather than choosing an established manager with relevant experience. It might work, but there's really no reason to believe it should.
Suitability: 5/10
Gus Poyet
Poyet does fit the bill of being an established manager with relevant experience -- he looked after a struggling Sunderland side for nearly 18 months between 2013-2015, and so knows the Premier League game from a managerial standpoint. However, Poyet's reign at Sunderland was hardly the stuff of dreams, with the side winning just 14 of 60 games under his watch. Like Grant, Poyet is another manager who has the wrong kind of experience at the helm of struggling Premier League clubs. His appointment probably wouldn't fill the dressing room with hope.
Suitability: 4/10
Marcelo Bielsa
For some, Bielsa would be a great fit at Swansea. The idiosyncratic Argentine is known for his meticulous training methods which could coax the best from an under-performing, small squad. He also favours an attacking, fast-paced style which Swans fans would welcome with open arms, and his novel 3-3-3-1 formation -- although perhaps not ideally suited to the current squad -- could give Swansea a new contemporary identity.
However, Bielsa has managed bigger clubs than Swansea -- he last managed Marseille -- and might take a lot of persuasion to sign up. Bielsa would also likely insist he is given complete control, something which might give hands-on Swans chairman Jenkins pause for thought. The Swans' current circumstances will not be attractive to a detail-obsessed man who would appreciate a full summer to set his side up his way. If it happened, it would either be a perfect marriage or a disaster.
Suitability: 8/10
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