SWANS HOPEFUL IN CLEMENT BID
PAUL Clement has given indications he is ready to become the new Swansea City boss – but a deal to land the Bayern Munich No.2 is yet to be done. Alan Curtis looks set to be told to take charge of the Swans’ first game of 2017 at Crystal Palace on Tuesday, with discussions over Clement’s appointment dragging on.
But it is thought that the long-time assistant to Carlo Ancelotti is ready to come to the Liberty after an initial move for Wales chief Chris Coleman fell flat.
And it is understood that there is a broad agreement in place. The deal still needs to be finalised by all parties – including the club’s American majority shareholders Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien. The time differ- ence and family holidays of both Kaplan and Clement have added to complications.
Swansea first targeted Clement as early as 2012 to replace Brendan Rodgers at the Liberty after he was lured by Liverpool and, after the former was surprisingly sacked at Derby late last season, was also in the running to succeed Francesco Guidolin in South Wales in October.
There is hope that a deal will be thrashed out, with Clement appearing keen to quit Bayern despite Swansea’s perilous position at the foot of the Premier League table, though it may still take some days to come to fruition.
Caretaker Curtis admitted that he would be prepared to take the team at Palace for Tuesday night’s Selhurst Park clash, though there is hope a deal can be agreed with Clement in time for the former Real Madrid and PSG coach to take a watching brief.
Meanwhile, Swansea City’s stars are suffering a crisis of confidence that any new manager will have difficulty putting right, according to caretaker boss Alan Curtis.
Curtis, who took temporary charge after Bob Bradley’s sacking, insisted the squad have enough quality to turn things around despite a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth ensuring they start 2017 at the bottom of the Premier League.
But with Swansea still in discussions to try and tempt Clement to the Liberty, Curtis warned there will be a big task to try and restore fragile belief.
Swansea’s players again crumbled once they conceded a soft opener, as Beink Afobe pounced on a mistake from Jordi Amat.
And Curtis said: “I think the first goal is crucial for us, because once we concede, the confidence drains from us.
“There’s no explanation apart from we’re bottom of the table, not winning games, conceding too many – we have a crisis of confidence once the first goes in in games.
“Then, maybe if we had not conceded the second and gone in at 1-0 we could have reorganised, but credit to Bournemouth they did to us what we used to do to teams. This showed it’s going to be very difficult.
“I still think there should be enough there to get better results, but confidence is such a fragile thing. There are good players here, but once we concede you can see the confidence drain in them.”
Curtis admitted he has not been told whether he will be in charge for Tuesday’s visit to Crystal Palace, but will be prepared to stay in the hotseat as the moves to appoint Bradley’s replacement continue.
He said: “I’ve not spoken to the chairman before the game, so it’s day to day. I will see what the latest is, but I will prepare the team and we will try and do the best we can.”
Swans in action: Sports pull-out.