Kyle Bartley has been reunited with former Swansea City manager Garry Monk following the opening of the transfer window today, joining the coach's new club, Leeds United, on a season-long loan.

Bartley's first interview as a Leeds player eluded to Monk's presence being the main factor in his decision to join the club too, with there "a few other teams interested" as well as the Yorkshire outfit.

"As soon as I spoke to Garry and Pep [Clotet, assistant manager], I knew this would be the place for me," he revealed.

He continued, saying: "I've worked with them over the last two seasons and they’ve been absolutely fantastic. I can’t say enough good things about them."

Another deciding factor in Bartley's move, however, is playing time. The defender's only apperance in a Swansea shirt this calendar year came in their shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Oxford United, with him wildly out of favour under Francesco Guidolin's charge.

Speaking to Leeds' official website, Bartley said: “I want to come here and play week-in, week-out in what we hope will be a really successful season for the club," with him looking to get back to his best on a personal level.

Bartley poses with his new club colours. (Photo: Leeds United FC)
Bartley poses with his new club colours. (Photo: Leeds United FC)

One in, one out?

The exit of Bartley frees up space for Swansea to bring in another defender now - perhaps a certain Mike van der Hoorn.

The Swans agreed a £2.3 million fee with Ajax for van der Hoorn last week, though this was news that raised eyebrows amongst those in South Wales considering that the team already had four centre-backs on the books.

However, Bartley was always expected to depart this summer - be it on loan or permanently - given his lack of playing, and his move to Leeds now opens up space for the Premier League outfit to bring in their Dutch target.

According to Sky Sports, van der Hoorn arrived in Swansea today to begin discussions regarding a potential move to the Liberty Stadium, with the deal looking likely to be done in the coming days - barring anything dramatic going wrong.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Ameé Ruszkai
Head of the Sunderland, Swansea City and women football sections at VAVEL UK. Email: [email protected]