Next Swansea Manager Odds: Four candidates to replace Russell Martin
Who could Swansea turn to after Russell Martin?
EFL pundit Gab Sutton picks out four candidates who could replace Southampton-bound Russell Martin as Swansea Head Coach...
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Chris Davies
Although a young coach at 38, on the face of things Davies is in fact quite experienced.
A hot prospect at Reading and a Wales youth international in the early-mid noughties, the then 19-year-old was forced to retire through injury, and started doing his UEFA coaching badges as long ago as 2004.
Davies has studied the work of Brendan Rodgers as a coach at Swansea and Liverpool, then rejoined the Northern Irishman at Celtic and Leicester, either side of becoming Reading’s youngest first-team coach at 30.
As Rodgers’ assistant, the Watford-born coach helped Celtic break a 100-year record for domestic games unbeaten with a youthful side jam-packed with flair, then was part of the setup at Leicester, when they twice came close to Champions League qualification.
Swansea are in a place where they need to try and find the next Brendan Rodgers, and to do so they may need to take a chance on a high-performing coach who hasn’t yet been a number one.
Davies has the coaching pedigree and the stylistic ideology to continue Russ Martin’s work, and the fact he’s currently the odds-favorite in the next Swansea manager odds suggests the board may like what they see.
Steven Schumacher
One or two eyebrows were raised from afar, when Steven Schumacher was handed the opportunity to replace Ryan Lowe as Plymouth Argyle manager, back in November 2021.
Externally, some might have seen Schumacher’s appointment as a missed opportunity to look outside the club for a high-profile coach or a manager with a promotion on their CV as a number one, but the Liverpudlian has defied his doubters.
‘Schuey’ maintained the positive aspects of Lowe’s work, including the progressive style of play, but made some pragmatic tweaks to improve the side further, giving the Devonians an edge that has allowed them to churn out the victories when not at their best.
Argyle continued their promotion challenge under Schumacher in 2021/22, though the standard of competition meant even 80 points wasn’t enough for a top-six berth, but they added another 21 to their tally this season and took home the title.
Schumacher has already shown he can develop talent, with no example better than Morgan Whittaker, with the agile forward starring on loan from Swansea in the first half of the campaign.
Despite having been recalled in January, Whittaker remained the joint-ninth top assister in League One, supplying seven goals, and scoring a further nine.
If Schumacher were to be appointed Head Coach at the Liberty Stadium, he could certainly get the best out of Whittaker.
The graphic below is a glimpse at how his side might look in terms of patterns of movement, if Arthur Okonkwo, Regan Poole, Auston Trusty, Callum Styles and Ryan Hardie were all brought in.
How could Swansea look under Steven Schumacher?
Ryan Mason
Ryan Mason could be keen on a first job in management in the EFL this summer.
The former midfielder, who had to retire early due to injury, is currently Tottenham’s interim Head Coach, but he’s highly unlikely to get the permanent gig, and it’s plausible the new boss will want their own backroom team.
Mason, though, was the youngest coach in Premier League history at 29 in 2021, but he’s now had five years of coaching experience, working with elite managers like Antonio Conte, who he impressed enough to work with the first team under his guidance.
The 31-year-old is believed to be a highly talented coach, and known for a positive mindset.
Luke Williams
Luke Williams is one of the highest-regarded coaches outside English football’s top-flight.
The 42-year-old was regarded as the brains behind the operation when Swindon reached the League One Play-Offs in 2014/15, then was credited with the development of Max O’Leary, Taylor Moore, Joe Morrell, Tyreeq Bakinson, Jonny Smith and Antoine Semenyo with Bristol City Under-23s.
From then on, he assisted Russ Martin at MK Dons and Swansea, helping the former centre-back establish a clear playing identity at both clubs in his second season.
While Martin was unable to achieve anything of substance in those stints, both times he appeared to be getting very close to doing so, with his sides being so impressive from a coaching perspective.
Replacing Martin with his former assistant, therefore, would make a lot of sense in terms of maintaining continuity, especially after Williams led Notts County to promotion from the National League last season.
The Magpies accrued 107 points under the London born coach, and while Wrexham’s dominance meant even that wasn’t enough to secure automatic promotion, Williams’ side came from behind in both the Semi-Final and the Final of the Play-Offs to complete the mission.
Williams inherited a progressive template from Ian Burchnall, but he made pragmatic tweaks to make Notts a more efficient, better-rounded side, and it’s possible he could do that at Swansea.
The Swans shipped 64 goals last season and many of them were down to poor organisation, rather than an unavoidable consequence of their style, so there’s every chance Williams could improve them.
The only question here, would be whether Swansea are willing to negotiate compensation with a club that would be determined to keep their man, and whether Williams would want to pass up the opportunity to lead County back into the EFL.
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