Oxford United keen on appointing ex-Swansea City manager as Gary Rowett successor | OneFootball

Having sacked Gary Rowett two days before Christmas, Oxford want the former Swansea manager as a replacement for their fight against relegation.

Having sacked manager Gary Rowett two days before Christmas, Oxford United are set to enter talks with the former Swansea boss Alan Sheehan over him taking over at the Kassam Stadium.

The U's relieved Rowett of his duties on December 23, three days after a 1-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic kept them in 22nd place in the Championship table. This loss was their fourth consecutive game without a win, a run which included just one win in their previous ten matches.

Sheehan, meanwhile, was sacked as the manager of Swansea City on November 11, three days after a 4-1 home defeat by Ipswich Town left them in 21st place in the Championship table. He was replaced by former Liverpool coach Vitor Matos.

Oxford United keen to open formal talks with Alan Sheehan about their vacant managerial position

Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports News has reported that Oxford United are set to enter talks with Alan Sheehan over the vacant managerial position at the Kassam Stadium.

It is reported that the Irish coach has been in-demand since leaving Swansea earlier this season, and despite a flurry of other names being linked to the job, it is Sheehan that the United hierarchy want to speak to regarding their vacancy.

Oxford are keen to steal a march on any rivals considering Sheehan following their decision to part ways with Gary Rowett, with Sky claiming that the U's want to hold more formal talks with the ex-Swans boss.

They report that Sheehan's record at Swansea has alerted them to his potential suitability for the position - strong initial form as interim boss saw the former left-back handed the job on a permanent basis, but indifferent results in the first few months of 2025-26 led to Sheehan's downfall.

A win record of 40.63 per cent though was not enough for Sheehan to keep his job, but he could be set for a relatively quick return into management if talks with Oxford go well.

Alan Sheehan's record at Swansea could be what Oxford need if they're to survive in the Championship this season

Alan Sheehan was appointed as the head coach at Swansea City in the middle of February after a run of one win and one draw from their previous nine matches resulted in the sacking of the previous incumbent, Luke Williams.

Sheehan's record throughout the remainder of the 2024-25 season was impressive. Appointed with 13 games of the season left to play, his team suffered just three defeats and won seven, resulting in the team finishing in a reasonably creditable 11th place in the Championship table.

His sacking from Swansea on the 11th November was something of a surprise. The 4-1 home defeat by Ipswich which proved to be his last game in charge of the team was only their sixth defeat in 15 League games, although his replacement Vitor Matos has turned things around recently. Ironically, their last game of 2025 was a 1-0 win at Oxford.

Oxford United were among the pre-season favourites to be relegated from the Championship this season, but they're still only three points from safety and an impressive 2-1 win against Southampton on Boxing Day demonstrated that they have the ability to keep their heads above water in this division again this season.

The way in which Alan Sheehan stabilised Swansea over the closing weeks of the 2024-25 season would indicate that he could be a good fit for what promises to be a challenging position.