Swansea City’s managerial hunt could be coming to a conclusion shortly, with talks with Maritimo manager Vitor Matos reportedly advancing.
Alan Sheehan left the Swans this week after a 4-1 loss to Ipswich Town in South Wales, after less than seven months in the permanent role following Luke Williams’ expulsion in February.
As a result, a slew of names have been linked with or mentioned by various reporters and pundits, though it initially appeared that Kim Hellberg would be primed to join the Championship side after previously being admired by the Swansea hierarchy prior to them offering the aforementioned Sheehan the permanent job in April.
It has since emerged that the Swede is set to join divisional rivals Middlesbrough in a deal that is expected to be finalised soon, leaving the former Liverpool coach as Swansea’s primary target at this time, with Football Insider reporting that talks between the two parties are advanced.
Matos’ current employers currently rank third in the Portuguese LigaPro. Maritimo has 20 points from its first 11 games and is only two points behind Sporting CP B, which led the table heading into the November international break.
It’s fair to say that the 37-year-old is best known for his work at Anfield alongside Jürgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders, having joined the German’s successful coaching setup in October 2019, just months before the Reds won their first Premier League title, their 20th overall and their first league-winning season in 30 years.
As a result, Klopp’s prior accolades to the Portuguese will further fuel enthusiasm in Wales ahead of his prospective hiring.
Jürgen Klopp rated Vitor Matos’ work as “incredible” in a 2020 interview.
During his nearly five-year tenure on Merseyside, Matos was primarily responsible for serving as a coaching liaison between the first-team and academy system.
During this time, names such as Rhys Williams, James McConnell, Conor Bradley, Caoimhin Kelleher, Jayden Danns, current Derby County loanee Bobby Clark, and West Brom centre-back Nat Phillips made their way into Klopp’s long-term plans.
The 2020/21 season was an injury-ravaged championship defence for Liverpool, with the likes of Williams and Phillips forced to step into the first-team fold owing to injuries, prompting Klopp to shower praise on Matos for his efforts.
“We employed Vitor, not because the academy wasn’t working as well as we wished but because we needed a connecting point,” he told me.
“Pep [Lijnders] was doing that as well, but first-team coaching is a large job; we needed someone in that development coach role who knows both sides, and Vitor is doing an excellent job. When we had our first problem with the centre halves, he proposed Rhys. It helps to have someone who keeps an eye on the academy and understands what we need in a crisis. Yes, we need players, but which kind of players?
“He works very closely with the entire academy; we’re pretty close from U16 on up, but we can’t be as close with the U14s or U12s, for example. The youth coaches understand what we need them to achieve, but it’s not always about playing our style,” Klopp said.
“We aim to give the lads a broad education. We want to know how they will behave later in their careers to various scenarios. Vitor is very vital for one-on-one partnerships. Yes, we believe we are open and pleasant on the first squad, but it can take some time for someone to feel comfortable expressing themselves.
“I can’t have extensive conversations with all of the lads every day. There will be a time when it happens, but it is Vitor’s responsibility to ensure that they know what to anticipate, that we believe they are talented enough, and that they comprehend the opportunity without feeling pressured,” the German explained.
Jurgen Klopp’s positive Vitor Matos assessment will delight Swansea City fans, following Alan Sheehan’s criticism.
Having such a wonderful recommendation from one of modern football’s master tacticians is no surprise, as Matos is clearly implementing a successful style at Maritimo as they seek promotion to the Liga Portugal.
However, such prospects may be considerably restricted if the 37-year-old is drawn to South Wales, and Swansea fans will be hoping to see a huge shift in how their team lines up on the pitch.
There’s no denying the squad’s good blend of flair, youth, and experience, with Sheehan’s main critique being that the Welsh team lacked any type of identity in the latter weeks of his term.
Having been a part of a coaching structure that forged the exact opposite at Anfield, Swans fans would expect Matos to deliver a blueprint for dominant performances through ball retention and an intensive press that opponents struggle to break down.
If things continue to go well and progress further, this might be the first evidence against Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
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