4 managers Swansea City must consider appointing ft bold Marti Cifuentes option | OneFootball

Swansea City are taking their time in hiring a replacement for Luke Williams - here are four suggestions they might not have considered

Swansea City are still searching for a new manager, with interim Alan Sheehan tasked with seeing out the Championship season in south Wales.

A few managers currently out of work have been linked to the role, including Des Buckingham, Welshman Rob Edwards, and former Swans managers Russell Martin and Steve Cooper.

With Swansea waiting until the end of the season before appointing a full-time replacement for Luke Williams, they will be searching far and wide for the ideal candidate.

As such, a relative unknown or someone not currently linked with the job might be Swansea’s next manager – with Football League World taking a look at some outsiders.

Marti Cifuentes

When clubs look for a new manager, they will highlight many variables they are searching for.

Swansea City’s director of football Richard Montague has stated that they want a manager at the “forefront of the game”; a new boss with fresh ideas.

But the ideal candidate would also have experience of managing in the Championship.

Not only would Marti Cifuentes continue Swansea’s tradition of possession football, but the Spaniard would bring experience of the Championship with him to the Swansea.com Stadium.

But a major stumbling block would be the “long-term” contract signed by Cifuentes earlier in the 2024/25 season.

By poaching an up-and-coming manager from a divisional rival, Swansea would be making a statement of intent to the rest of the Championship – and showcasing an ambitious approach to the future.

If Swansea could convince Cifuentes that their project is more promising than QPR’s, they might have a chance of hiring the Spaniard.

Kim Hellberg

Tempting Cifuentes to swap a lower-table Championship side for similar circumstances could prove too tall an ask for Swansea, so perhaps the south Walians should look to copy Queens Park Rangers and hire their new manager from the same source.

Kim Hellberg was chosen as Cifuentes’ replacement upon his departure from Hammarby in December 2023, continuing the fine work conducted by the Spaniard in Sweden.

At just 37-years-old Hellberg is into his fourth campaign as a top-flight boss. Appointed manager of IFK Värnamo ahead of their first-ever season in the Swedish top flight, Hellberg steered the club away from an expected relegation before following that up with a fifth-placed finish the following season.

Swapping Värnamo for Hammarby ahead of the 2024 campaign, Hellberg managed a second-placed finish with his new club.

Throughout his time in Swedish football his sides have loved to dominate possession of the ball, combining a passing-style of play with a heavy press.

Hellberg’s style of play is similar enough to the possession-based style Swansea have become known for, whilst providing freshness and innovation.

Swansea would not be the first Championship club to take an interest in the Swede, with Sunderland reportedly interviewing Hellberg for a previous vacancy back in 2023.

Eder Sarabia

Eder Sarabia arguably has the most impressive CV on this list, with the Spaniard listing Barcelona, Real Betis, and Villarreal as former employers.

After working in youth football with a host of clubs, most notably Villarreal, where he managed their C team, Sarabia crossed paths with Quique Setien, becoming his assistant manager at Las Palmas in 2015.

Sarabia would follow Setien to Real Betis and Barcelona, before going on to manage FC Andorra, where he took the Andorrans to the Spanish second tier for the first time.

Sacked in March 2024, Sarabia was appointed Elche manager ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Currently top of LaLiga2, Sarabia only signed a one-year contract on his appointment as Elche boss. If Elche miss out on promotion, Swansea could swoop to bring the Bilbao-born coach to the EFL.

As expected of a coach who worked for Barcelona, Sarabia favours a heavily-possession based approach, with Elche averaging 62.1% of the ball in their league games this year.

Brian Barry-Murphy

Brian Barry-Murphy has previously been linked to the Swans job, with the Welsh club apparently sounding out the former Rochdale manager when he was in charge of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad.

Currently a first-team coach at Leicester City, Barry-Murphy has spent some time away from being a senior manager.

Despite that, Barry-Murphy has his admirers, with Huddersfield Town linked to the Irishman.

During his time at Rochdale he established a reputation for positive, pass-based, attacking football, indicating that he would be a good fit to continue Swansea’s preferred style of play.

Although inexperienced at Championship level, Barry-Murphy would arrive in south Wales with a clear style of play that marries well with Swansea’s approach to the game.