Jenkins to stay, says Swansea investors
SWANSEA City’s majority shareholders Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan say they expect chairman Huw Jenkins to have a long-term future at the club following their takeover, writes Andrew Gwilym.
The American businessmen faced a Swansea Supporters’ Trust forum at the Liberty Stadium last night, the first time they had faced questions from fans since their arrival in Wales.
There has been speculation that their takeover would herald the end of Jenkins’ 15 years at the club, and he has come in for criticism from supporters at several home games this season, as have his fellow selling shareholders who were part of the deal that brought in Levien and Kaplan.
But the pair insisted Jenkins has a vital role to play in the Swansea set-up and, while admitting mistakes had been made during their acquisition of a near 70 per cent stake in the club, praised the work he had done in getting to the Premier League.
“I have known Huw for a year, he cares about the club deeply,” said Kaplan. “Not all his decisions are right, neither are mine or Jason’s. We have all made mistakes along the way, but Huw is our long-term partner. He has been great to work with, he has been open to new ideas, I expect him to be here a long time.”
Levien added: “I think mistakes were made in the acquisition process. I would have liked to engage earlier with the Trust. I cannot speak for the other shareholders, but I know for more than a decade they led the club to great success.
“Do I think mistakes were made in recent transfer windows? Sure. I think there were successes too. I think there is a tremendous track record of success over 14 years so I don’t want to be hyper critical of certain transfer decisions because if someone had said Swansea would rise to the Premier League 15 years ago, I think a lot of people would be happy with that. The board who were here during that period deserve respect.”
Levien and Kaplan also gave an update on ongoing discussions over the club taking over the lease of the Liberty Stadium.
It is hoped a deal can be completed before next month’s council elections – terms between the Swans and the Ospreys have already been agreed, while the football club plan to include a relegation clause in any agreement to limit any financial risk should the club lose Premier League status.