New name emerges in Swansea City manager saga - many fans are saying the same thing: ‘it’s soul crushing’ | OneFootball

Swansea City are searching for a new manager following Alan Sheehan's dismissal

Maritimo coach Vitor Matos has emerged as a contender to take charge at Swansea City following their Kim Hellberg setback.

According to the BBC, the 37-year-old is among the contenders to replace Alan Sheehan as the Welsh outfit’s permanent manager.

The Portuguese has been with Maritimo since the summer, and he has overseen six wins from the team’s first 11 games in the second division.

The club finished 12th in the table last season, enduring a difficult campaign in which they severely under-performed expectations, but Matos has the side back in contention for promotion since his arrival.

Meanwhile, the Swans are hoping to climb the Championship table themselves after suffering a slow start to the term, which led to Sheehan’s dismissal last week.

Swansea City supporters react to Vitor Matos revelation

Swansea have turned their attention to Matos following the breakdown in their attempts to appoint Hellberg as manager.

It has been reported that the Swede is set to take over rivals Middlesbrough instead, after he was previously linked with the Swans.

Former boss Russell Martin is also in contention for the role, with no immediate front-runner yet to emerge.

Supporters have not responded well to the potential arrival of Matos, taking their frustrations out at the news of his possible appointment.

Some have claimed that it is far too big of a risk to bring in someone with as little experience as the former Liverpool assistant has.

The club have also been criticised for jeopardising their season with this possible hire, with a lot of negativity surrounding his name.

While some have even suggested that they’d rather bring Sheehan back to manage the team than to bring in the 37-year-old.

Swansea are currently 18th in the Championship table, and will return to action on 22 November with a trip to face Bristol City in a 12.30pm kick-off.

Vitor Matos appointment would be a big risk

Matos has done well in turning things around at Maritimo, but it is still early days in his tenure and the small sample size may not be a fair reflection of the actual quality of his work.

So it would be a big risk to appoint him as Sheehan’s replacement, especially as the team keeps sliding down the Championship table.

If Swansea appoint someone that the supporters aren’t immediately behind, then they risk things getting toxic very quickly if results don’t instantly improve.

However, Matos could yet prove a roaring success and that is the risk the Swans may be willing to take, and there’s certainly nothing to suggest he has to be experienced to do well, as we’ve seen in the past in this division with the likes of Danny Rohl and Martí Cifuentes.