Leeds United's 2022/23 campaign ended in dismal fashion as they were sent crashing down to the Championship with seven defeats in their last nine Premier League matches.
The club have since confirmed that manager Sam Allardyce has left by mutual consent and that leaves them in the market for a new boss heading into next season.
However, teams are already making signings to bolster their squads and Leeds could need to make some moves before appointing a head coach to avoid missing out on targets.
Last month, Football League World reported that the club are interested in signing defender Ryan Manning and added that, at the time, they would be keen on him as a Premier League or Championship side.
The left-back is set to be available on a free transfer this summer when his contract with Swansea expires and this means that the Whites can complete a bargain swoop for the 26-year-old dynamo if they are able to convince him to make the move to Elland Road.
How did Ryan Manning perform this season?
Manning enjoyed a phenomenal campaign with the Swans in the second tier and proved himself to be an excellent player at that level and Leeds could, therefore, kickstart start their summer with a bang by bringing him in.
In the Championship, the former Queens Park Rangers whiz averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.46 – higher than any of Marcelo Bielsa's stars achieved in 2019/20 – across 43 appearances and created an eye-catching 14 'big chances' from left-back.
The £10k-per-week maestro made 2.5 key passes per game for the Welsh outfit and racked up ten assists in total, which is more than any Whites player managed in the 19/20 promotion.
He also showcased his defensive quality with 3.3 tackles and interceptions per match – to cut out attacks on a regular basis – and a duel success rate of 64%.
Junior Firpo, meanwhile, won 50% of his battles in the Premier League and created 0.4 chances per outing, which suggests that the Irishman could be an upgrade on the ex-Barcelona man on and off the ball with his efficient defending and creative quality in possession to open up opposition defences for his teammates.
At the age of 26, the Republic of Ireland international has many years left ahead of him and has experience playing as a left-back and as a left wing-back in back fours and back five or threes. This suggests that the ace would suit any new manager who wants to play a progressive style of football as he is capable of being deployed in multiple different roles and systems on the left flank.
Therefore, bringing him in before appointing a coach could be a shrewd move by the club and one that could signal the turning of the ship as Leeds attempt to wash away the disappointment of last season by bringing positivity back to Elland Road.
Manning, who was dubbed "impressive" by journalist Josh Bunting, has proven himself to be an outstanding Championship player and swooping the ace up would kickstart the summer with a bang and give the supporters something to be excited about for the first time in a long time.