DE BOER IN THE MIX FOR SWANS JOB
SWANSEA City are already talking to the men they want to replace Paul Clement, with Frank de Boer believed to be among the first to have been sounded out over a move to the Liberty.
But it is unclear whether Swansea will pursue an interest in the former Crystal Palace manager after rumours they have cooled on the idea of handing him a second crack at the Premier League.
Ronald Koeman is also thought to have been mentioned in the Liberty boardroom, but it is believed he is not interested in returning to the top-flight with Swansea.
Former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic in another name in the mix, while Fulham’s Slavisa Jokanovic is also thought to be under consideration, although the preference is for someone with recent Premier League experience.
Swansea have bought themselves some time in their hunt for a new boss – their fourth in the space of a year – having confirmed player-coach Leon Britton and Under-23 managerial duo Gary Richards and Cameron Toshack will take caretaker charge of Saturday’s match with Crystal Palace.
But Britton and Co are expected to be a short-term fix with the club eager to put a new man in place quickly.
Swansea are thought to have already drawn up a list of potential candidates ahead of the decision to sack Clement, but they did not want to press on with any serious discussions until they had made up their minds to dismiss the 45-year-old on Wednesday evening. Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is said to have also been considered, although neither party took it any further.
Fellow Dutchman de Boer has been discussed at boardroom level and is thought to have had considerable support; the former Ajax and Inter Milan manager is perceived to be in keeping with the club’s playing ideals.
However, it is not clear if support for de Boer is wavering, especially in view of the 47-yearold’s disastrous five games stint in charge at Palace earlier this season, which ended with the sack.
Having won four Dutch titles with Ajax, de Boer also had a short-lived spell in Milan before that Eagles experience which saw him lose all five of his games in charge.
De Boer has been on Swansea’s radar in the past, as has Koeman, who spoke to the club following the departure of Michael Laudrup and before the decision to hand Garry Monk a permanent deal.
Yet while Koeman is said to have also been sounded out, it is unlikely at this stage he would be interested in a return to the Premier League with Swansea following his sacking by Everton.
With Swansea keen on recent Premier League experience, it would appear to rule out Jokanovic, yet the 49-year-old has supporters among the Swansea hierarchy, certainly in terms of his style of play.
The Serbian is under pressure at Fulham, but guided them to the play-offs last season and has won plaudits for an attractive brand of football.
LEON Britton admits Swansea City have lost the clarity of their football identity in recent years, but has distanced himself from the prospect of being the man to restore it as full-time manager.
The 35-year-old club stalwart has been placed in caretaker charge following Paul Clement’s dismissal on Wednesday night.
Britton, who will work alongside Cameron Toshack, Gary Richards and Tony Roberts, oversaw training at the club’s Fairwood base yesterday and will lead the side into Saturday’s crunch clash with Crystal Palace.
The midfielder does not yet know if he will be asked to remain at the helm for the Boxing Day clash with Liverpool, but made it clear he does not want to be considered for the full-time position.
Tony Pulis is not thought to be under consideration, while Ronald Koeman and Ryan Giggs have ruled themselves out of the running.
Frank de Boer and Slavisa Jokanovic are under consideration, while Slaven Bilic and Aitor Karanka have also been linked.
But, when asked if he fancied the job, Britton said: “Not at the moment, it is not the right time for me to take the job on a permanent basis.
“That’s not to say I would not take it in future, but at this moment, it is not right for me to be permanent manager.
“I will always help the club, but I am not looking at the full-time role.”
But Britton did express his belief that the club have moved away from ‘the Swansea Way’ and lost the identity with which they had seen so much success on and off the field.
“If you play that way it does not guarantee success,” said Britton.
“But we have a style that got us results, I am not saying it would guarantee a win on Saturday, but I will say we had a clear vision at the club of how we played, the players we went for.
“Over the last three or four seasons it has not been so clear.
“You have to have managers that believe in the style of football, whatever style you play, and the players have to suit the system.
“I don’t know the decisions at boardroom level, but the managers we had, had a real belief in that way of playing and the players have that confidence in it and the fans too. “It is a collective thing.” Britton also revealed he spoke to Clement within hours of the boss’ sacking by the Swans.
“I spoke to Paul last night, we had a brief conversation, he was naturally disappointed, but I made sure I spoke to him,” said the club stalwart.
“The natural reaction for the players too is disappointment. If a manager leaves they understand it is because they have not performed as they should be.
“It’s a results business and if you don’t perform the manager will go. We don’t have time to dwell on it, there is a big game ahead.
“But players have to take their share of the blame, take responsibility when a manager leaves.
“It is everyone together when things go well, it is the same when things do not go well.”
Britton struggled to force his way into Clement’s plans when the former Bayern Munich assistant arrived at the Liberty in January.
But the midfielder was pivotal in the Swans’ escape from relegation as the club collected 13 points from their final five Premier League outings of the 2016-17 campaign, with Britton playing in each of those outings.
And Britton was quick to recognise Clement’s achievements in the first half of 2017 when discussing the manager in his press conference ahead of Saturday’s meeting with the Eagles.
“He has been here just under a year and we thank him for his efforts and the work he did last season, he came in during a difficult period and kept us up,” added Britton.
“This season has not worked out as he would have wanted and we know football is a results business. But we wish him the best for the future.
“I thought Paul Clement was the right man, the players were behind him.
“In terms of a new manager it is difficult.
“We need to get back to basics, get that confidence back and make sure we get points on the board as soon as possible so we are not cast adrift,” added Britton.