Leeds United's Championship rivals fined as Sunderland and Burnley eye former Hull City manager

Leeds United might have missed out on promotion in heart-breaking fashion last month but can at least look forward to another season challenging for the Championship title, rather than staving off Premier League relegation. Play-off final defeat to Southampton was no one’s preference in West Yorkshire but a new-found stability puts Daniel Farke’s squad in a far better place than this time 12 months ago.

That stability is not a given either, with a number of second-tier promotion hopefuls - namely Sunderland and Burnley - about to kick off their summer transfer window without a permanent manager. The pair’s ongoing search for a new leading man features below as the YEP rounds up some of the latest stories surrounding United’s Championship rivals.

Preston fined

Preston North End have been fined a total of £40,000 after being charged with two counts of misconduct in relation to crowd control during the season. The Championship side were charged by the FA following incidents during away games at Huddersfield Town in December and Chelsea in January.

Preston were charged £10,000 by an independent regulatory commission after away fans at the John Smith’s Arena sang a derogatory chant referencing local rivals Blackpool. And the Lilywhites were fined a further £30,000 for a homophobic chant aimed at Chelsea during their FA Cup third round tie at Stamford Bridge.

North End admitted to both charges, which stated they failed to ensure their supporters conducted themselves in an orderly fashion. The club have also been ordered to implement an action plan in a bid to prevent future issues.

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Rosenior targeted

Championship pair Burnley and Sunderland have both been linked with interest in former Hull City manager Liam Rosenior. The 39-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by the Tigers after missing out on the play-offs, but was on the three-man shortlist for the league’s Manager of the Season award and remains a highly-regarded young coach.

Sunderland have been without a permanent head coach since sacking Michael Beale in February, with first-choice successor Will Still U-turning late on and deciding to sign for RC Lens. Burnley were recently relegated from the Premier League and have since seen their manager, Vincent Kompany, take charge at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

The Athletic has named Rosenior as one of three options being eyed by Burnley, along with Scott Parker and Frank Lampard, with preliminary interviews set to begin this week. The former Hull boss remains the bookies’ favourite to take over at the Stadium of Light, with the Sunderland Echo naming him as one of the leading candidates.

Boro arrival close

Middlesbrough are thought to be closing in on summer signing number two with reports suggesting midfielder Aidan Morris will soon seal a move to the Riverside Stadium. The Athletic reports that Morris, a United States international, is expected to make the switch from Columbus Crew in the coming days and join Luke Ayling on the list of summer arrivals.

The agreed fee will sit in the region of £3.1million and is thought to include a sell-on clause. Morris has won two MLS Cups with Columbus Crew, making more than 100 first-team appearances. He may also feature for the USA under-23s side at this summer’s Olympics in Paris.