Vitor Matos Appointed As Manager Of Swansea City

Former Liverpool coach Vitor Matos has joined Championship club Swansea City as manager, fewer than 18 months after leaving Anfield with Jurgen Klopp.

After just five months as a manager, Matos has already landed himself a job in England, taking over at Swansea from Alan Sheehan who was dismissed with his team hovering just above the relegation zone.

After leaving Liverpool, the Portuguese went to Red Bull Salzburg where he served as an assistant to Pep Lijnders before he was sacked after just six months.

Matos then took the step up from assistant to manager at Maritimo in Portugal’s second division, where he won seven of his 13 games in charge.

Having served as Liverpool’s development coach for five years previously, he has impressed enough for Swansea to appoint him as their new boss.

Their CEO, Tom Gorringe, said: “We spoke to a range of candidates and Vitor was the clear stand-out with a cohesive plan of how to take our squad forward and improve.

“Vitor has spent over a decade working at elite clubs and has been a trusted figure for some of the best coaches operating in the modern game.

“He is committed to playing an attacking brand of football, and to developing players technically and tactically, and we are sure supporters are going to enjoy watching his Swansea City team in action.”

The step from assistant to manager isn’t always smooth – just ask Lijnders and John Heitinga – but for Liverpool, Swansea could now serve as a potential destination for loan players with a trusted man at the helm.

Speaking for the first time since his arrival in Wales, Matos said: “Swansea, for me, have always had a style, something that distinguished the club from all the others

“Somehow we have got a bit far away from what is the DNA of the club.

“So it will take steps, it will take a bit of time, but I really believe we can take steps in the right direction.

“For that, we will need everyone, the whole club, all the fans and us all to have the same vision.”

Matos will take charge of Swansea for the first time on Tuesday as they host Derby, a side featuring Bobby Clark whom Matos coached at Liverpool and Salzburg.

The former Liverpool youngster is on loan at Derby until January, with the 20-year-old set to complete a permanent transfer from Salzburg to Celtic in the upcoming window.

Good luck, Vitor!