Britton’s trust in calming Clement

STABILITY in the hotseat, a clear identity on the pitch and an owner willing to back the boss is the golden recipe for an extended stay in the Premier League.

Sounds simple enough but, as history has shown in the cut-throat battle to beat the drop, getting that balance right year on year is far from a formality.

Just ask Swansea.

Four years ago, the Welsh club – having won the League Cup – were in Europe and seemed poised to become a permanent fixture among the elite.

But every season since the Swans have found themselves in increasing danger of relegation, culminating with their narrowest escape yet in 2016-17.

No wonder, then, the club’s long-serving midfielder Leon Britton (right) is thrilled that some much-needed continuity in the managerial department has finally been restored.

Including the brief stint of Alan Curtis, Swansea used three bosses inside the first four months of last season.

Francesco Guidolin and

Bob Bradley both flopped, meaning by the time Paul Clement was appointed in January, the club seemed destined for the drop.

Clement, though, sparked a miraculous recovery – and, according to Britton – that should mean a much smoother ride this term.

The Liberty Stadium playmaker, 34, said: “I have more faith this season because the manager is here from the start. “When he arrived we only had 12 points. But with him in charge, I am far more confident.”

Not even the seemingly inevitable £50million departure to Everton of Swansea’s free-scoring Icelandic ace Gylfi Sigurdsson can dampen that optimistic outlook.

Britton added: “Losing Gylfi would be a