Swansea City can't ignore Roberto Martinez & Brendan Rodgers success - they struck gold and can again | OneFootball

Swansea City's talks with the unproven Vitor Matos have raised eyebrows, but they have found hidden gems in the past

Maritimo head coach Vitor Matos has emerged as a shock candidate to take over at Swansea City, with previous number one target Kim Hellberg set for a move to Championship rivals Middlesbrough.

Hellberg looked set to replace Alan Sheehan after his sacking last week, but Boro's last minute swoop means the Swede is set for a move to Teesside rather than South Wales.

This means that Swansea have gone back to the drawing board, and an unlikely contender in the form of Matos has emerged, with Pete O'Rourke even reporting that the Portuguese boss is in advanced talks with the club.

It's fair to say that Matos may not be the Jack Army's first choice, with the 37-year-old currently in his first full season of management, and with just 11 games of Portuguese second tier football under his belt, it's fair to say he's inexperienced.

While it may be a move that raises eyebrows, Swansea aren't strangers to appointing managers other clubs wouldn't touch, and they'll hope Matos is able to replicate their success should he be appointed.

Swansea City have struck gold with unproven managers in the past

Back in February 2007, then League One side Swansea were on the lookout for a new manager after Kenny Jackett departed, and former player Roberto Martinez was appointed, despite still being on the books as a player at Chester City at the time.

Martinez had no managerial experience whatsoever, and despite being a former player, it was still a huge risk for Swansea to appoint him, particularly as Jackett had been a success in South Wales and was vastly experienced.

However, Martinez led Swansea to the League One title in his first full season in charge, playing a brand of football that hadn't been seen in the lower leagues of English football before, and winning plenty of plaudits along the way.

The Spaniard then led Swansea to an eighth-place finish upon their return to the Championship, also knocking out FA Cup holders, Portsmouth, in the third round in what was a hugely positive season for the club, before Martinez departed for Premier League side Wigan Athletic in the summer.

Since then, Martinez has managed Everton, Belgium and Portugal, showing his managerial credentials, and it proves that taking a punt on someone inexperienced can work out.

Brendan Rodgers wasn't quite as inexperienced as Martinez or Rodgers, having managed Watford and Reading prior to his move to Swansea, but the Northern Irishman's stock was low prior to the move to South Wales after being sacked by the Royals, and it was an appointment that felt somewhat underwhelming at the time.

12 months later and Rodgers had led Swansea to the Premier League for the first time, and after an 11th place finish in the top-flight, he left for Liverpool in the summer of 2012.

Spells with Leicester City and Celtic followed, both of which brought silverware, and it's fair to say that Swansea polished a rough diamond in Rodgers when they appointed him in 2010.

Having struck gold with unfancied managers in the past, supporters shouldn't be writing off Matos just yet, and he should be judged on how he performs, not what his CV currently looks like.

Vitor Matos could prove to be a hidden gem

There's no denying that Matos lacks head coach experience, but his Maritimo side have started the season well and currently sit in third place, just two points off top spot. Considering they finished 12th last season, it's clear that Matos has made a big impact, and it's clearly alerted Swansea.

While Maritimo is his first head coach role, Matos has amassed a wealth of coaching experience across Europe with the likes of FC Porto, Liverpool and Red Bull Salzburg, working alongside the likes of Jürgen Klopp for five years between 2019 and 2024, where he was highly-rated.

It would be a risk for Swansea to appoint Matos, but they're a club who often like to think outside the box when it comes to managerial appointments, and they obviously feel like the 37-year-old is an exciting young coach despite his lack of experience.

Only time will tell if Matos is a success should he be appointed, but the likes of Martinez and Rodgers have proven that Swansea are capable of striking gold with perceived underwhelming managerial appointments.