Next Swansea City Manager Odds: After Luke Williams

Des Buckingham is a name featuring at the top of the bookies odds right now and it’s certainly an interesting one where the Swansea vacancy is concerned owing to his background and route to this stage of his career; it’s one that has seen him learn his trade through a varied route including Premier League academies, national team set ups and overseas leagues. On top of all that, he’s enjoyed success in the EFL too having guided Oxford to promotion from League One last season – and making an alright start to their survival battle in 2024/25 too before being sacked in December.

Despite having performed his duties admirably at the Kassam Stadium, a sacking from a lower-end Championship team doesn’t make great reading on a CV and Buckingham might well be tempted to jump back in with the offer of another second-tier job. His style of play would be one that would appeal to the Swans fanbase too whilst a history of success – even if not at the highest level – is another tick in the box of supporters.

Swansea fans already know all about Russell Martin after he managed them between August 2021 and June 2023 before leaving for Southampton. Since then, you’d probably have to say that a promotion with the Saints has enhanced Martin’s reputation at Championship level whilst Swansea have, at best, stayed still. With that in mind, any move for their former gaffer might be seen as an ambitious one.

Martin endured a poor time of things in the Premier League this season, which ultimately led to his sacking. Despite that, you’d think he will fancy another crack towards the top end of the Championship; that isn’t what is on offer at Swansea right now and, as such, this potential appointment feels very much like an outside bet.

A somewhat surprise name among the favourites to be the next Swansea manager is their former stalwart, Alan Tate. Tate made 340 appearances for the Welsh club during a 13 year career and is considered a club legend having donned their colours in each of the top four leagues of English football before coaching at the club under Steve Cooper, as well as serving a period as caretaker manager.

The 42-year-old hasn’t held a first team manager role to date but has served as assistant at Nottingham Forest and Leicester – again, both under Cooper. With his connections to Swansea and perhaps a desire to take his first steps into management, could this be an appointment to reunite the fanbase after the decision to sell club captain Matt Grimes in January?

Ryan Lowe, who coincidentally left his last job just days before due to be facing Swansea, is a manager that has done a decent job everywhere he has been and, as such, could be seen as a decent appointment by the Swans hierarchy. The 46-year-old former Plymouth boss isn’t just in the results business though with his style of play often lauded too, which is all the more notable given he’s rarely competed with a side boasting the biggest budgets.

It's not all upsides with Lowe though. He has a track record of walking out on clubs having done so at Plymouth and, more recently, Preston. For a career win ratio of nearly 41% though, it might be a risk the Swans are willing to take.