New Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk drops hint over possibility of adding former Sheffield United striker James Beattie to backroom staff

Sheffield Wednesday have refused to rule out the possibility of adding former Sheffield United striker James Beattie to their coaching set-up.
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New Owls manager Garry Monk has hinted he will bring in "one or two members of staff" to work alongside their existing backroom team in time.

And Monk has worked with Beattie at his previous clubs Swansea City, Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Birmingham City.

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Beattie, who enjoyed two spells as a player at Bramall Lane, is currently a coach at Birmingham.

Garry Monk, left, and James Beattie at Birmingham City. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Garry Monk, left, and James Beattie at Birmingham City. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Garry Monk, left, and James Beattie at Birmingham City. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

When asked if there is a possibility of Beattie joining his Wednesday revolution, Monk told The Star: "We will have those discussions.

"Of course, if there is a chance to bring in one or two members of staff with me who know me and have worked with me and know how I work, we can hit the ground running as quickly as possible. It can help with time and I will look to do that. But right now, it is working with Lee and the staff and I am looking forward to that.

"I am looking forward to it but we will see what happens."

When Monk first took over as Blues boss in 2018, he had to reach a settlement with Middlesbrough for the services of Beattie, Sean Rush, Darryl Flahavan and Ryan Needs. The quartet remain at St Andrew's, albeit Beattie in a redefined role, with Pep Clotet in charge.

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But Monk, whose first Wednesday in the dug-out will be Sunday's Yorkshire derby at Huddersfield Town, has already stated he will work with first-team coach Bullen.

"Lee and the other staff are going to be there and I am looking forward to that insight as well," he said. "When you have a pre-season, you can get the bulk of your ideas across, but we haven't got the luxury of that.

"Having the insight from Lee and the other staff is going to be vitally important and I am looking forward to working with them and understanding that."

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