Milton Keynes Dons have confirmed that an official approach has been made by Swansea City for their head coach Russell Martin.

It was reported by publications such as The Telegraph last night that the former Scotland international was close to replacing Steve Cooper at the Liberty Stadium, and that he would take charge of the League One side for the final time today in a Carabao Cup clash against AFC Bournemouth.

Martin has been rumoured to be one of the front-runners for the Championship vacancy all week along with former Chelsea under-18's manager Jody Morris, with the former emerging as the leading candidate.

The approach has seemingly unsettled the Dons though with their season beginning earlier than the majority of other clubs in the EFL and the club have released a statement in which they appear to suggest they've been forced into due to 'intense media speculation'.

 

 

 

 

They've expressed 'extreme disappointment' that Swansea approached the club less than 24 hours before their clash with the Cherries and even though there's nothing in the statement to say that the approach has been accepted or rejected, all the signs point towards today's clash at the Vitality Stadium being Martin's last for MK Dons.

The Verdict

You can understand why MK Dons are frustrated with this throwing a massive spanner in the works to all the preparation they have done ahead of the season opener.

They had a tough enough task as it is playing against a top Championship side but with Martin seemingly having one foot out of the door already it will surely be hard for him to remain focused on the job at hand on the south coast today.

If you believe the national media reports from last night then it's a matter of when, not if Martin swaps Stadium MK for the Liberty Stadium and it's bound to make a lot of Dons fans very unhappy after what the Scot has managed to build and develop.