Swansea Seek Third Manager In Less Than 12 Months After Sacking Paul Clement

Swansea are looking for their third manager in less than 12 months after Paul Clement was sacked on Wednesday night.

Clement, who saved Swansea from relegation last season after being appointed in January, paid the price for the club’s dismal form which has seen them claim only three Premier League wins all season.

Swansea hope to make a swift appointment – even possibly before Saturday’s home game against relegation rivals Crystal Palace – with Dutchmen Ronald Koeman and Frank de Boer understood to be high on the list of the club’s American owners.

“To change the manager, especially at only the halfway point of the season, is the last thing we wanted to do as a club,” chairman Huw Jenkins said in a statement on the official Swansea website.

“We had three different managers last season and as a result we all wanted to give Paul as much time as possible to turn things around.

“But we felt we couldn’t leave it any longer and needed to make a change to give us the best chance of an uplift and a turnaround in fortunes with the club bottom of the Premier League.

“Paul has been at the club for 12 months and what he achieved in the second half of last season to keep us in the top flight was a tremendous feat.

“I have had an excellent working relationship with Paul and we are all, including the owners, surprised and disappointed it hasn’t worked out this season.

“We wish Paul every success in his career going forward.”

Clement’s assistants Nigel Gibbs and Karl Halabi have also left with Swansea having registered just 12 points from their opening 18 fixtures.

That record is almost identical to the one Clement inherited in January when they had 12 points from 19 games.

After succeeding Bob Bradley, Clement oversaw a remarkable revival as Swansea took 29 points from 19 games to finish 15th.

But the summer departures of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Fernando Llorente and Jack Cork significantly weakened Clement’s hand, and the former Derby boss had hoped to be given the January transfer window to strengthen his squad.

But Clement’s departure was confirmed less than 48 hours after the 3-1 loss at Everton on Monday night – Swansea’s ninth defeat in 11 games.

Source: PA-WIRE


Published at Thu, 21 Dec 2017 04:30:00 +0000