Swansea want Ryan Giggs as pressure mounts on Francesco Guidolin

Guidolin could be sacked before the next international break in October

Jack Austin
Thursday 22 September 2016 09:15 BST
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Giggs during his time as an assistant coach at Manchester United (
Giggs during his time as an assistant coach at Manchester United ( (Getty Images)

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Ryan Giggs could be set for a first permanent managerial role with Swansea boss Francesco Guidolin teetering on the brink of becoming the first Premier League manager to get the sack this season.

The Swans’ chairman Huw Jenkins is keen to bring Giggs back to South Wales and considered approaching the Welshman over the prospect of taking over from Guidolin, only to be denied by the club’s new American owners, according to the Telegraph.

New majority shareholders Kaplan and Levien completes a £100m takeover in June but kept Jenkins in charge as chairman to keep some stability and are keen to do the same with their manager.

Jenkins was hopeful of meeting Giggs prior to the 2-1 EFL Cup defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday night as it appears increasingly likely Guidolin could be removed as early as the next international break in October.

Giggs’ only previous experience as a manager was three games in charge at Manchester United following David Moyes’ sacking in 2014.

It is not yet clear whether Giggs would be interested in the job and it could prove a controversial decision with the fans given that the former Manchester United winger is from Cardiff.

Swansea have won only one of their first five Premier League games but it is the off-the-field atmosphere which has Jenkins concerned.

Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs (Getty)

Guidolin’s relationship with the squad looks strained having publically criticised long serving players Neil Taylor and Ki Sung-yeung.

There were also reports that alleged that the Italian missed morning sessions of the club’s pre-season tour of the United States to watch the Tour de France on television.

Guidolin replaced Garry Monk as Swansea boss on an interim basis in January and steered the club away from a relegation battle to a 12th-place finish, earning him the role on a permanent basis at the end of last season.

However, he missed out on a number of transfer targets during the summer and that has been noted by the board.

The Swans face Manchester City again on the weekend before entertaining Liverpool the following weekend and two heavy defeats could force the American owners’ hand.

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