Fresh update emerges on Swansea City new manager hunt | OneFootball

The Swans are believed to be keen on exploring the European market for their next manager.

Swansea City are believed to be looking abroad to try and find their new head coach.

This comes according to Alan Nixon, who is reporting that the Swans’ American owners are keen to explore the European market to bring fresh ideas into the club.

Caretaker boss Alan Sheehan remains in temporary charge of the club and will continue to lead the team for the near future, but while the former Luton and Notts County defender is understood to have some support within the club, Nixon believes it is most likely that the owners will find their own man.

The likes of Des Buckingham and Hibernian’s David Gray were linked with a move to South Wales earlier in the week, but now it appears an appointment from elsewhere on the continent may be more likely.

Swansea will be looking to emulate some of the current success stories with foreign coaches

Football League World exclusively reported at the end of February that several members of the Swans squad were keen on the idea of Sheehan being handed the job on a permanent basis.

It’s fair to say that he has overseen a quick improvement at the Swansea.com Stadium, with the side unbeaten across his three league games in charge, having lost six of their previous seven games – the run that ultimately cost Luke Williams his job.

However, with today’s latest update from Nixon, it appears that Sheehan being handed the reins on a permanent basis is now an unlikely outcome.

Instead, it seems as though Swansea will turn their attention to the foreign market, in what will surely be a bid to emulate some of the recent success enjoyed by foreign coaches in the Championship.

Regis Le Bris has shone at Sunderland this year, and looks destined to lead the division’s youngest squad to a play-off finish. Although it is perhaps less eye-catching success, the duo of Danny Röhl and Johannes Hoff Thorup have also done good jobs at Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City respectively.

Last season saw Italian Enzo Maresca lead Leicester City to the league title, while German boss Daniel Farke looks set to do the same with Leeds United this term. While their situations are slightly different, given they had both had a taste of the English game before taking on those jobs, it is yet more example that foreign coaches can work well in the Championship.

Given the fairly diverse nature of the league, it still remains possible for both foreign head coaches and English managers of a more traditional style to enjoy success.

In Swansea’s case, they must surely be hoping they can become the next second tier club to unearth a gem from foreign shores.

Sheehan has done a good job but more improvement is needed

Across his three league games at the helm so far, Sheehan and his team have performed admirably. Victories on home turf over play-off hopefuls Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough were sandwiched either side of a 0-0 draw with Preston away from home, meaning the Swans are still unbeaten and yet to concede a goal under the Irishman.

As far as auditions for the job go, Sheehan has surely given himself the best possible chance.

That turnaround means Swansea are now back up to 15th and, perhaps more crucially, now have a gap of 12 points between themselves and Derby County, who currently occupy the final relegation spot.

Given the struggles of the Championship’s weakest sides this term, that should be enough to guarantee the South Wales outfit their place in the division for next season. While this can only be seen as a positive thing, given their precarious position towards the end of Williams’ time with the club, as a club who have played Premier League football as recently as 2018, they should really be doing better.

In the six seasons since they fell out of the top flight, Swansea have finished in the play-offs just twice, and have failed to even make the top half on two occasions.

They are a club who really should be targeting more than just survival in the Championship, and they will be hoping that their new man can help bring the good times back at the club.