Swansea City told to axe Alan Sheehan - ex-Middlesbrough manager would be a "statement signing" | OneFootball

Swansea City have been urged to sack Alan Sheehan with a three-man shortlist including Michael Carrick suggested.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Just 11 games into the 2025-26 Championship season, Swansea City head coach Alan Sheehan is under pressure, with some fans calling for his departure.

In the second half of last season, the Swans managed to finish with a bit of a flourish following the appointment of then interim coach Sheehan, replacing the sacked Luke Williams.

Over the summer, amid some impressive recruitment which involved reasonably heavy and ambitious spending, the Jacks decided to double down on Sheehan and install him as the permanent coach at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Swansea have since endured a very tough start to the campaign with just three victories in their opening 11 matches and there is a feeling that Sheehan, who was a rookie boss in the first instance, may now surely be on his way out in south Wales.

Swansea told to sack Alan Sheehan - then target Michael Carrick, Kim Hellberg or Gary O’Neil

With growing discontentment in the fanbase and an ambitious ownership structure at Swansea, it would appear as though Sheehan’s days are numbered with last season’s run of form being put down to the so-called ‘new manager bounce’, rather than anything sustainable or tangible in terms of his coaching ability.

Swansea take on Norwich City on Saturday afternoon, with Sheehan's opposition manager in the form of Liam Manning also struggling, and if there is a loser in the match, there's every chance it could be an 'El Sackico' contest.

FLW’s Swansea City Fan Pundit, Will Hughes, believes it would be the right decision to let Sheehan go as soon as possible though, and he has outlined his three-man shortlist of Gary O’Neil, Kim Hellberg and Michael Carrick.

Will told FLW: “I feel like I have this conversation every 12 to 18 months as it’s just rinse, repeat with this football club.

“On this particularly occasion, though, I feel as though it is absolutely the right decision to get rid and hopefully it happens in the near future.

“I don’t see any sort of style of any sort of identity under Alan Sheehan. I think the football is unsustainable and, ultimately, I think the difficult decision needs to be made to relieve him of his duties.

“In terms of replacement, we have to move away from the previous way of recruiting managers, of scouring League One and League Two for some young, or younger, up and coming managers who may have done well in League One or League Two but, ultimately, are unproven in the Championship.

“You look back to Russell Martin, Michael Duff, Luke Williams. I think we need to be a bit more ambitious with our next manager, what with the squad that we now have.

“We have a squad of players that have been brought in, we are at least two players deep in every position, some real quality in there as well and some real assets on the pitch and financially.

“I think, as I say, we need to be a bit more ambitious. I have got a three-man shortlist as to who I would want as our potential next manager.

“I think the third choice for me would be Gary O’Neil. It’s a big if to see if he would drop down to the level of the Championship, having managed to Premier League clubs in Bournemouth and Wolves.

“To my knowledge, he kept both sides up. I certainly know he did with Wolves but I’d have to fact check with Bournemouth.

“I know that with Wolves he got them playing some very nice football and then obviously some difficult circumstances, transfers and this, that and the other didn’t go his way so he lost his job there and hasn’t had a job since.

“He hasn’t dropped down the level yet of the Championship so if he dropped down the level then potentially he could be one of the better managers in the Premier League.

“With his style of play, it would align with how our fans want us to play.

“My second would be a man that we were rumoured to be in for the summer in Kim Hellberg of Hammarby. Of course, I think this would be the more riskier of my picks.

“He has only managed out in Sweden and hasn’t come over to the UK. It would have been better if we had got him in thee summer because he would have had a full pre-season to work with the players and implement his style, as any manager would but also be able to adapt to English football itself.

“Maybe a risky one but the way his Hammarby side plays, to my knowledge, would align with how we want to see our team play. On the floor football and on the front foot.

“My number one choice would be Michael Carrick.

“On the floor football, on the front, electric in attack. Solid at the back, as well. Granted, he did leave Middlesbrough in a bit of a poor position, but they did sell a lot of players.

“I do think he would align with how we want to play. He would be a statement, he’s a name and he’s a free agent as well. I just think he’d be a statement signing and it would be a chance to prove himself to be able to get more than one side into the play-offs at this level, and even push further. He’s my number one pick.

“To tell you the truth, you could probably name anyone and I think the football would be a lot better than what we’ve seen this season.”

Swansea should be pushing for the play-offs in the Championship

At the start of the season, following an ambitious approach in the transfer market, Swansea supporters would have believed that a top six push was a realistic target.

Of Will’s suggested candidates, only one manager of the three has experience of taking a team into the play-offs in the Championship, Michael Carrick, but, as outlined, his reign at the Riverside didn’t end too well.

The Smoggies missed out on the top six on the final day of last season and they have majorly improved this time around, following the appointment of Rob Edwards.

Gary O’Neil was sacked by both AFC Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers, and both sides majorly improved after his departure with the Cherries bringing in Andoni Iraola and Wolves appointing Vitor Pereira to steer them away from rock-bottom in the Premier League and to safety.

Kim Hellberg would be an intriguing choice for the Swans, having never managed in England. He is currently in charge of a Hammarby side that sit second in the Allsvenskan table, having conceded the league title to Mjallby.