Birmingham City manager Garry Monk's relationship with the club's hierarchy has become increasingly strained, Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett has revealed.

It was reported earlier on Thursday morning by journalist Pete O'Rourke that Monk is on the verge of leaving Birmingham, and Dorsett has now provided some insight into why that has suddenly become the case.

According to Dorsett, Monk did not want to agree to the swap deal with local rivals Aston Villa that saw Jota leave St Andrew's for Villa Park, with midfielder Gary Gardner returning to Birmingham having spent last season on loan with the Blues from Villa as part of the move.

Monk is now said to be at odds with the club's CEO, Xuandong Ren, over the wage budget, and could leave Birmingham before the start of the season.

Since taking over at St Andrew's in March 2018, Monk has won 19 and lost 20 of his 59 matches in charge of the club, guiding them to a 17th place finish in his first full season in charge last year, despite the club receiving a nine point deduction for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations.

The Verdict

You can understand why Monk is frustrated here.

If he is to get the best for the club, then he will want those above him to listen to advice on transfers and back him in the market, something which they do not appear to currently be doing.

Given Monk's popularity amongst the club's fan base, and the stability he has managed to bring to St Andrew's, you feel the club's owners may have made a mistake in the way they have handled the situation here.