Former Leeds boss Garry Monk has a fresh start at Birmingham City.
Garry Monk has a fresh start in charge at Birmingham City where he has been reunited with his assistant Pep Clotet.
Clotet was not with him at Middlesbrough, and the pair hope to win fans over at Birmingham in the same way they did at Leeds United.
He takes charge of a talented squad at Birmingham, which includes a player Leeds fans were desperate for him to sign.
Goalkeeper David Stockdale was starring for Brighton last season but made clear he did not intend to renew his contract.
Stockdale is a Leeds fan and supporters were desperate to sign him, expressing their dismay last summer after he made the switch to Birmingham – with fans believing Monk’s departure from Leeds cost them their chance to get a deal done.
Monk had quit Leeds just two weeks before Stockdale made his decision, at which point the Whites were without a manager and could not effectively compete for his signature.
Leeds had Robert Green in goal already but Stockdale was five years younger and had just played a key role in winning promotion for his side.
The Daily Mirror had claimed that Stockdale was one of Monk’s top targets, and just weeks earlier Stockdale had praised the manager, telling Brighton’s website: “Leeds are a massive club and Garry Monk is doing a great job there as everyone knows.”
Now Monk and Stockdale are united at Birmingham and the goalkeeper has a fresh start amid a difficult campaign.
Leeds fans stuck with unreliable stopper Felix Wiedwald will continue to wish they had made different decisions over their goalkeepers last summer.
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