Luke Williams In Line For FA Cup Mission As First Match At Swansea City

Notts County manager Luke Williams during the Sky Bet League Two match at Edgeley Park, Stockport. Picture date: Friday December 22, 2023. (Photo by Richard Sellers/PA Images via Getty Images)

Luke Williams In Line For FA Cup Mission As First Match At Swansea City

Posted on

s4c

By David Williams

Luke Williams could be in place as Swansea City’s new head coach in time for Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Morecambe.

The Notts County boss has agreed to the move and talks between the clubs over compensation are expected to conclude quickly.

That would allow Williams – who was an assistant to Russell Martin at the Swans until 18 months ago – to succeed Michael Duff who was sacked at the start of December.

The appointment will be further evidence that the club accept they got it horribly wrong in appointing Duff.

Williams is very much in the Martin mould, and that of most of the club’s successful head coaches, who based their playing and recruitment strategy on patient, possession-based football.

The 43-year-old Englishman is expected to bring his Notts County assistant, Ryan Harley, with him to the Swansea.com Stadium.

Williams – who had a modest playing career in non-league football cut short by injury – was a central figure on the training field during his first spell at the Swans under Martin.

https://twitter.com/JordanWebber96/status/1742597114750796068?s=20

The former Swindon Town manager left the Swans to take charge of Notts County in June 2022 and led them to promotion from the National League last season.

They currently sit fifth in League Two and their goal tally of 55 is the highest among the top four divisions.

Having initially pursued Chris Davies, Swansea were forced to rethink their plans when Tottenham Hotspur’s assistant manager decided to stay with the Premier League club.

Andy Coleman, Swansea’s chairman, had said in the wake of Duff’s dismissal that his “appreciation for how critical the Swansea identity is to this club has grown since the summer and will be high in my mind as I make the decision on our new head coach”.

Following their 1-0 New Year’s Day win over West Bromwich Albion, Swansea sit 16th in the Championship and are eight points adrift of the top six.

When Williams was asked about the chances of taking change at the Swans last moth, he said: “It’s natural (to be linked) because I worked there.

“Maybe somebody saw me in a coffee shop in Wales and put two and two together. But I actually live there and have lived there for nearly five years.

“It’s very flattering, but I need to concentrate on doing my job here (at Notts County).”

Read more

Wayne Rooney’s 83 Days At Birmingham . . . Even Fewer Than Bob Bradley At Swansea City

Alan Sheehan Tells Swansea City: Get This Job Sorted By The Weekend

s4c

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.