Head coach Williams set to leave Swansea
Head coach Luke Williams is expected to leave Swansea City after a run of seven defeats in the club's past nine Championship matches.
Williams is set to depart after 13 months in charge with Swansea 17th in the second tier, eight points clear of the bottom three with 13 fixtures remaining this season.
Swansea have suffered an alarming slump in form since the turn of the year, with Saturday's 3-1 defeat at struggling Stoke City proving to be his last game in charge.
Swansea were only four points outside the play-off places in ninth after post-Christmas wins over Queens Park Rangers and Luton Town.
But they have since taken only four points from a possible 27, while they were also well beaten by Southampton in the FA Cup third round.
As well as the string of poor results, Swansea endured a miserable January transfer window, with the club missing out on numerous targets but sanctioning the sale of Matt Grimes – their captain and most influential player – to Coventry City.
Grimes' departure was a heavy blow to Williams, whose squad already had a number of deficiencies which have not been addressed.
Nevertheless, the former Notts County boss, 43, faced heavy social media criticism from Swansea fans during what look like proving to be the closing stages of his reign.
Williams' relationship with some supporters took a dent amid speculation linking him with West Bromwich Albion in late December.
Williams eventually apologised to anyone who felt he had shown "a lack of commitment" by failing to rule out the idea of moving to The Hawthorns.
The Albion links came just when Swansea were looking like genuine contenders for a top-half finish in 2024-25, which would have been a laudable achievement given the club's budget and the players at Williams' disposal.
In the autumn, Williams had boldly talked up Swansea's play-off prospects having suggested – understandably – last September that it would be "silly" to say his inexperienced squad could compete "at the very peak" of the division.
Williams left Notts County to take over at Swansea in early January 2024, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract at a club where he had previously been part of Russell Martin's coaching staff.
The Swans were 16th in the Championship when he arrived, having taken 11 points from seven games under caretaker boss Alan Sheehan following the sacking of Michael Duff in December 2023.
Despite some difficult days in the early part of his tenure, Williams led Swansea to a 14th-placed finish last May and set out this season hoping to make steady progress while developing the young players in his squad.
He was on course to achieve those goals until the collapse in 2025 which has prompted his exit.
Williams goes just as Richard Montague, who he worked with at Notts County, takes up the role of director of football at Swansea.
Williams felt Montague's arrival would assist Swansea's off-field operations, having been critical of the club's failings in the mid-season window.
