Swans hold talks with Hellberg over manager role

Swansea City have held talks with Kim Hellberg, the boss of Swedish top-flight side Hammarby, as they seek a replacement for Alan Sheehan.

Hellberg and his representatives have met Swansea chief executive Tom Gorringe in London for discussions over the managerial vacancy at the Championship club.

The 37-year-old has emerged as the leading contender to succeed Sheehan having come close to taking over at the Swansea.com Stadium when the Irishman was in caretaker charge in the spring.

However, there is no guarantee at this stage that the Swede will be Swansea's next head coach.

Reports in Sweden say Hammarby have offered Hellberg a new contract in an attempt to convince him to remain with them, while he is also said to be attracting interest from elsewhere in the English second tier.

Hellberg has been linked with the vacancies at Middlesbrough and Norwich City, while Southampton are another Championship club who are in the market for a new manager.

Sheehan was sacked earlier this week after Swansea's poor start to the season.

Swansea are keen to have a new management team in place before they return to action after the international break, with their next game at Bristol City on Saturday, 22 November.

Hellberg has been in charge at Hammarby for the past two seasons and has led the Stockholm club to successive second-placed finishes in the Allsvenskan, Sweden's highest division.

He has a year to run on his current Hammarby deal, meaning Swansea would have to pay a compensation fee to secure his services. However, the size of the fee is not likely to be an issue for the Welsh club.

Hellberg was in contention for a move to Wales after the departure of Luke Williams in February, only for Sheehan to land a three-year contract on the back of a sharp upturn in form at the back-end of last season.

Hellberg, who spent his playing career in the Swedish lower leagues, began his coaching career more than a decade ago.

He made his mark as a coach in the lower divisions with Kuddby IF and then IF Sylvia before joining the staff at top-tier club IFK Norkopping in 2020.

Hellberg's first head coach role in the Allsvenskan came at IFK Varnamo, where two impressive seasons led to his move to Hammarby.