Swansea City boss Vítor Matos awaits legal clearance for backroom staff | OneFootball

Swansea City head coach Vítor Matos says the club can do little but “wait” as the legal process continues to determine whether three members of his former Marítimo staff will be allowed to join him in Wales, as reported by BBC Sport.

Matos is keen to bring assistant Diogo Medeiros, coach Tozé Mendes and analyst Gonçalo Ricca to the Swansea.com Stadium, but 10 days on from his appointment, the trio remain in limbo as they await Home Office and FA clearance. The changes brought by Brexit mean European coaches no longer have automatic working rights in the UK, leaving Swansea dependent on approval from an independent panel.

“It’s something that is not in the control of the club,” Matos said. “The staff need to go through the process and it takes time. We did everything they asked for. Now we wait.”

While Matos worked in England for five years during his spell on Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool staff, his former colleagues must meet new post-Brexit requirements. In the meantime, he has leaned on long-serving coach Kristian O’Leary, goalkeeping head Martyn Margetson and club greats Leon Britton and Joe Allen, who have stepped in on a temporary basis.

Swansea have lost both matches since Matos took charge and sit outside the Championship relegation zone only on goal difference, heightening the importance of Saturday’s meeting with Oxford United as the club waits for clarity off the pitch as well as improvement on it.

GFN | Finn Entwistle