Journalist hint suggests Norwich City, Southampton & Middlesbrough could have eye on Swedish boss | OneFootball

Swansea are keen on Hammarby's Kim Hellberg, but other Championship clubs are too, with Middlesbrough, Southampton and Norwich seeking a new boss.

Swansea City are interested in Hammarby boss Kim Hellberg, although they could face competition from their Championship rivals for the Swede.

The 37-year-old has developed a reputation as an exciting coach in his home country after doing some impressive work as he jumped up the divisions to manage Hammarby, following his time at minnows Varnamo, who he took into the Allsvenskan.

Hammarby have recorded back-to-back second place finishes in the top-flight over the past two years, with Hellberg building a dynamic, attacking team - and that is leading to some admiring glances from elsewhere.

Kim Hellberg attracting Championship interest for job he's done with Hammarby

With the Swedish league having now finished, there are doubts about Hellberg’s future, with reports on Tuesday confirming that he is a target for Swansea following the dismissal of Alan Sheehan.

It had been claimed previously that Swansea were monitoring Hellberg, who has also been linked with Sunderland in the past, but the Welsh outfit ended up appointing Sheehan on a permanent basis.

However, it appears that Swansea won’t have a free run at Hellberg, as journalist Tom Coleman revealed that he has ‘admirers’ from other Championship clubs.

Whilst no club is specifically mentioned, Norwich City and Southampton are on the lookout for a new head coach, and Middlesbrough will be in the same position shortly when Rob Edwards’ move to Wolves is confirmed.

Therefore, the four clubs are likely to be in the market for similar options, and the report states that Hellberg would be interested in speaking to Swansea, which indicates he is ready to make the switch to English football.

Kim Hellberg would be a bold move worth taking for Championship clubs

Hellberg still has a year to run on his Hammarby contract, so prising him away from the club wouldn’t be too costly.

Of course, the obvious risk to any club bringing in Hellberg is his lack of experience in this country, and joining mid-season is always challenging for any head coach, especially when they don’t know the league.

But, we see plenty of talented coaches arrive from abroad, and the work he has done with Hammarby has been very good.

Plus, he encourages a fast, high-intensity attacking approach, which is going to appeal, and he will back himself to develop players once he works with them on a day-to-day basis.

As outlined above, the fact four clubs are searching for managerial appointments at this stage of the campaign is very unusual, and it adds a different dimension as clubs know that if they don’t act swiftly, they could miss out on a key target.