Sheffield Wednesday's decision to sack Garry Monk was influenced by the number of strong candidates current available.

That's the view of the Sheffield Star's Football Editor Chris Holt who was delivering his verdict on the managerial search on The Star Owls' Podcast.

The South Yorkshire side made the decision to sack the former Leeds United and Middlesbrough boss on Monday evening after a poor start to the new season.

Wednesday are currently sitting in 23rd place in the table as the possibility of a genuine relegation battle becomes more and more prominent.

Of course this has been influenced by the 12-point deduction that they were dealt at the start of the season for breaching spending regulation.

With Dejphon Chansiri seemingly desperate for change, the decision was made to enter the market for a replacement.

Reports have linked the Owls with an interest in the likes of Tony Pulis, Danny Cowley, Nigel Pearson and Sol Campbell - all of whom are currently out of work.

According to Holt, it's this key factor which may have proved decisive in Chansiri's move to sack Monk.

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Speaking on The Star Owls Podcast, Holt said: “I think Chansiri has thought to himself, ‘I’m going to strike first here’ – because there are a few very capable managers not in work at the minute, there are a few others who are, who could possibly be prised away.

"Chansiri could well have thought to himself, ‘I need to get in here now before somebody else sacks their manager and moves in for the type of target we would be having.'”

The Verdict

While Chris Holt's theory is speculative, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if this was true.

The calibre of candidates currently on the market is incredibly high for Championship level, and that means that it was probably a good time to sack Garry Monk.

As the weeks roll by other clubs may look to change their manager as well - something that could be disastrous if the Owls were to miss out on a top target.

That's why moving so promptly seems like the best course of action and will most likely pay off at the end of the season.