Leeds clear to talk to Wise

Leeds have been given permission to ask Swindon manager Dennis Wise and his assistant Gustavo Poyet to take over at Elland Road.

The Yorkshire club, beaten 5-1 by Luton at the weekend, have been under the control of caretaker manager John Carver since Kevin Blackwell was sacked last month.

Wise and Poyet signed three-year contracts at Swindon in May but release clauses allow them to talk to clubs from the Premiership and the Championship.

Leeds have confirmed their interest in bringing Wise and Poyet to Elland Road as a new management team.

"Discussions with the pair have taken place with the consent of Swindon Town," read a Leeds statement.

"The clubs are discussing the terms of their release. No further comment will be made at this stage."

Since taking over at Swindon in May, Wise and former Chelsea team-mate Poyet have steered the club to third place in the table.

The Robins have lost only two of their 15 league games after being relegated to Coca-Cola League Two at the end of last season.

Wise was previously player/manager at Millwall and led the Coca-Cola Championship side all the way to the FA Cup final in 2004 where they lost 3-0 to Manchester United.

Wise resigned as Lions boss the following May following a boardroom shake-up and was installed as Swindon's new manager 13 days later. Wise and Poyet were due to hold a press conference in conjunction with England sponsors Nationwide in Swindon, but that has now been cancelled.