England Under-20s coach Paul Williams confirmed as Swansea City assistant manager

16th November

Swansea City are pleased to announce the appointment of England Under-20s coach Paul Williams as the club's new assistant manager.
Williams joins up with the Swans ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Everton after leaving his post at the Football Association to move to the Liberty.
The highly regarded 45-year-old, who has a raft of top-flight experience as a player, has agreed a two-and-a-half year contract with the Swans.
Williams has been coaching for a decade, and has been linked with a number of clubs of late - most recently Manchester United, who are on the lookout for a new reserve-team boss following the departure of Warren Joyce.
But it is the Swans who have won the race to secure Williams's services - and boss Bob Bradley is looking forward to life alongside his new No. 2.



"I am excited about having the chance to work with Paul," said Bradley, who has been seeking an assistant since taking charge last month.
"There have been discussions from the start about adding one more member of staff so that we would have one more coach on the pitch every day.
"The first month here was very busy, but this international break has given us the opportunity to finalise discussions and we are pleased that Paul can join us.
"He gained a lot of Premier League experience in his playing days, while he has also done a lot of good work as a coach.
"For instance, he helped bring through some very good players during his time at Southampton, while everything I have heard about the work he did with England has been positive.
"He has done a lot of on-field coaching, and that's what we are looking for. I am excited to have another guy on the field alongside me and Alan Curtis."



Williams spent eight years in the Premier League during his playing days, first at Coventry City and later Southampton.
Born in Burton, he had come through the ranks in the Football League at Derby County.
Williams, who played in central defence or midfield, scored 33 goals in 195 appearances for the Rams before stepping up to the top flight when he joined Gordon Strachan's Coventry in a £750,000 deal in 1995.
After 199 appearances - and six goals - for the Sky Blues, Williams departed in 2001, joining Southampton a few months later.
Injuries were a problem in his second and final season with the Saints, which culminated in an appearance on the bench in the 2002-03 FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal.
Williams then played for Stoke City before starting his coaching career with a brief stint at American club Fredericksburg Gunners.
He worked in Wolverhampton Wanderers' youth set-up between 2006 and 2008, then had a short spell as Aldershot's assistant manager in 2009.



He began working at Southampton's renowned academy in 2009, eventually landing a full-time role there in 2011 and playing a part in the development of players like Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers and James Ward-Prowse.
After leaving St Mary's in 2014, Williams had a spell on the Brentford staff in 2015, the year when he also got involved in the England set-up.
A former England Under-21s international player, Williams worked with his national team at under-15 and under-16 level before assisting Aidy Boothroyd with the under-20s.
Last December, Williams was added to Dougie Freedman's coaching staff at Nottingham Forest. He became temporary manager in March following Freedman's exit from the City Ground, only to depart himself when his contract expired in the summer.
His role with England became more prominent when U21s boss Gareth Southgate moved up to the senior team in September.
Boothroyd stepped up to lead the U21s in the absence of Southgate, with Williams taking charge of the U20s side.
He chalked up four wins in his five England U20s games, against Iran, Nigeria, USA and Germany.