Who’ll decide Jenkins’ fate and other key questions...
AS the fall-out continues from Swansea City’s relegation there will be a number of issues to be addressed and questions to be answered over the coming months.
Which players will leave? Who will replace Carlos Carvalhal as manager once his exit is formally confirmed? Which young players will get a chance next season?
The other one to dominate the thoughts of supporters has been what will unfold when it comes to the future of chairman Huw Jenkins.
Jenkins has been vilified by a section of supporters in the wake of the takeover of the club in 2016, and consecutive struggles with relegation that have ultimately ended in demotion back to the Championship. Here, we take a look at some possible scenarios that could unfold and some of the questions surrounding them...
Whose decision is it?
That is not 100 per cent clear at this stage but the suggestion has been that Jenkins will decide on whether he remains in place. There appears to be no intention of forcing him out or anything of that nature.
While supporters’ opinions of the chairman are not in doubt – the chants and banners seen over the course of the past two seasons have made feelings more than clear – it is worth bearing in mind the potential vacuum Jenkins’ departure would leave.
There is not considered to be a potential replacement already operating within the club when it comes to football matters and contacts. There is no natural successor in place.
Chris Pearlman has considerable knowledge and expertise in his role as chief operating officer, and could be seen as a potential chairman, but even he would admit running the football side of matters would be outside of his regular sphere of influence.
That would necessitate a new arrival, and any new face coming in would be coming into new surroundings without any previous knowledge of the environment to call upon to get them up and running.
There is a groundswell of opinion for Jenkins to leave, but even then that would not simply solve all of Swansea’s problems and – without a proper handover process – there is no guarantee such a move would be an instant success.
Didn’t he say his position would be untenable if Swansea were relegated?
When asked in December if Swansea’s struggles would make his position untenable, Jenkins replied: “I don’t disagree with that.
If we continue on this path of hardly winning football games, yes, I have no doubt it is.”
When pressed on whether he would leave if the club were relegated, which has since come to pass, he added: “I would certainly consider that. I am not that naive or arrogant or whatever the words are that I am not responsible.”
Taken at face value that would suggest Jenkins has to leave, and he is believed to be considering his position.
But he may also want to try and ensure he leaves Swansea in a better position than the one in which they currently find themselves.
Having been part of the rise through the divisions, leaving with Swansea in difficulty would not be how he would wish to bow out.
He is a Swansea supporter, and was prior to he and many others being involved in taking on the club to end Tony Petty’s time in SA1.
But he is also under pressure from Swansea City Supporters’ Trust, who have called for him to leave the club and the owners to conduct a full review of football activities. Will he oversee the search for a new manager?
As long as he is in situ, then almost certainly. As mentioned earlier, Swansea do not have enough people with sufficient expertise on the ground in South Wales to take charge of that process.
The American owners do have the final say but - particularly after the Bob Bradley debacle – they have placed store in Jenkins’ superior knowledge of the game, something they have publicly acknowledged on several occasions.
If Jenkins goes it is hard to see who would lead that process.
What about recruitment? Will there be a director of football?
This is the biggest issue to address – possibly even bigger than the identity of a new manager - because Swansea have made too many missteps in this area in recent years and it has cost them.
Every club makes mistakes in the transfer window – just look at how Everton’s spending spree worked out last summer – but Swansea have made more than most in recent years.
The option of bringing in a sporting director has been mooted and may well come to pass, although no names have been linked with such a role at this time.
Again, it is hard to say definitively, but the most likely scenario being indicated at this stage is that someone would be brought in to work alongside Jenkins rather than replace him.
Another option is he relinquishes his duties on the football operations side, and simply holds down the role of chairman in the more traditional sense.
Either of those two scenarios could be perceived as a slight and Jenkins may choose to leave if he feels his influence and ability to have control of matters is being impinged on or stripped from him. It’s also worth remembering, while Jenkins is a big part of the recruitment picture, he does not work in isolation. There are many others involved in the process, including head of recruitment David Leadbeater, technical recruitment scouts Tim Henderson, Ian Roscrow and analytical consultant Dan Altman. In addition, the owners have the final say on any deals.
Jenkins has to take a chunk of the responsibility, but it would be unfair to suggest all of Swansea’s recent recruitment struggles are solely down to him. It is a department and process in need of a shake-up.