Francesco Guidolin: Swansea City to appoint new head coach

Swansea City are set to appoint former Udinese manager Francesco Guidolin as their new head coach.

BSports Wales Sport understands the Italian will work alongside Alan Curtis until the end of the season.

Guidolin, 60, has previously managed several clubs in Italy, including Palermo and Parma, as well as French league side Monaco.

Swansea, who sacked Garry Monk on 9 December, currently lie 18th in the Premier League.

The south Wales club placed Curtis in caretaker charge after Monk's departure and then announced on 7 January that the 61-year-old would continue as the club's interim manager until the end of the season.

But after Swansea's 4-2 home loss to relegation rivals Sunderland, Curtis said he would be willing to step aside if the club found a new boss before the end of the campaign.

Who is Francesco Guidolin?

Guidolin has taken charge of Serie A side Udinese over two separate spells, first in the late 1990s and then a four-year stint at the helm from 2010 to 2014.

His best season with the north-east Italy club ended with a third-place finish in the Italian top flight.

His appointment comes after a host of former Premier League managers and ex-international-team bosses had been linked with the job.

David Moyes (top left, then clockwise), Marcelo Bielsa, Roberto di Matteo, Ryan Giggs, Brendan Rodgers and Gus Poyet had all been linked with the Swansea vacancy

After Monk's departure, chairman Huw Jenkins travelled to South America to step up his search for a new Swans boss, with Marcelo Bielsa bookmakers' favourite for the role.

Speaking earlier in January, Jenkins told BSports Wales Sport that finding a long-term replacement for Monk had "not been easy".

"We've spoken to a lot of potential managers," he added.

"Some didn't want to leave the clubs they were at this late stage in the season, while others didn't want to put their reputation on the line by joining a club at the wrong end of the table."

What next?

Swansea host Watford in the Premier League on Monday, before travelling to Everton on Sunday 24 January.

Having been knocked out of the FA Cup by League Two Oxford, Swansea do not have a fixture over the final weekend of January.

They then travel to West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday 2 February before back-to-back home games against Crystal Palace and Southampton.

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"I'm not surprised," former Wales and Everton captain Kevin Ratcliffe told BSports Wales Sport. "I would have hoped they would bring someone, in some sort of capacity.

"I'm not saying Alan [Curtis] hasn't done a good job but, other results have put them in a really perilous position.

"Two points from safety, the game [on Monday] against Watford becomes a very, very important game. They can't afford to be dropping points.

"It's not just another coach that's going to get you out of the position Swansea are in. It's got to be better players that what they've got.

"They've got to be bringing in better players now."