The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsPremier League strugglers Swansea City have appointed former Italy under 21 international Francesco Guidolin as their new head coach.
The former Udinese manager will work alongside Alan Curtis, who had been placed in interim charge until the end of the season, after the Swans legend claimed in the wake of their 2-4 loss at home to Sunderland, that he’d step aside if the club found the right successor.
The 60 year old Italian said; “At the moment it’s not a good situation for the club, but we have a good team.
“In Italy, I helped my team finish in a good position in the table, and that’s what I hope to achieve here at Swansea.
“At the moment everything is new to me, so I need three or four days to talk to the staff and players. After that, I will have a precise idea of things.
“Alan Curtis is a legend at Swansea, and this is important for me. He knows everything about the club.”
The arrival of former Chelsea midfielder Gabriele Ambrosetti as a member of the backroom staff has also boosted morale at the Liberty Stadium.
The arrival of the Italian does seem an odd decision by chairman Huw Jenkins. The club had been linked with David Moyes, Marcelo Bielsa, Roberto di Matteo, Ryan Giggs, Brendan Rodgers and Gus Poyet amongst others, most of which have Premier League experience.
But Guidolin has had success in his home country as a manager with Palermo and Parma in the 1980’s, in addition to AS Monaco in the French league.
His arrival at Udinese in the late 1990’s brought further success, before returning to the club for a second spell in 2010. He guided the Italian club to third in Serie A in 2012, recording the club’s joint best ever finish.
As a manager, Guidolin also achieved promotions with Parma, Palermo and Vicenza, in addition to leading the latter to a Coppa Italia victory in 1997.
Speaking “on the decision to appoint Guidolin, Jenkins said; “His experience and knowledge will be a huge asset to the club.
“He has an excellent record, especially with Udinese over the last few years. He created an Udinese side from a relatively small budget – compared to the rest of the league – that competed with the big teams in Serie A.
“He instilled a belief and motivation to compete and beat the best Italy had to offer. It is similar to what this football club is trying to do in the Premier League.”
