Luke Williams joins Swansea City as head coach
Swansea City is delighted to confirm the appointment of Luke Williams as the club’s head coach.
The 43-year-old joins the Swans on a three-and-a-half year contract from Notts County, having led the Magpies to promotion to League Two following a superb National League campaign last season.
His assistant, Ryan Harley, and first-team coach analyst George Lawtey, also make the move from Meadow Lane as part of Williams’ coaching staff.
They will be in charge for Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie against Morecambe.
The club would like to thank Alan Sheehan, who has led the Swans impressively since assuming caretaker head coach responsibilities last month, delivering a top ten performance over his seven games in charge. Alan will return to his role as assistant head coach and work alongside Luke.
Williams’ appointment follows a thorough and extensive search for a head coach who can deliver the types of performances and results Swansea City need to achieve our goals while exhibiting a commitment to a brand of football in-keeping with the club’s best recent traditions.
Swansea City Chairman Andy Coleman said: “As I have said previously, we have undertaken a diligent and detailed process to find our next head coach. I have been fortunate to spend a lot of time with Luke recently. I have looked him in the eye and know that we can trust Luke to be a coach and leader who is aligned with our vision for Swansea City.
"He fits right into the mould of other talented and ambitious young managers who have succeeded here. I am confident our supporters will be excited by and proud of this Luke Williams-led Swansea City team.”
His arrival sees Williams return to SA1 having previously been a leading member of Russell Martin’s coaching staff during the 2021-22 season, proving a popular and respected figure among the first-team squad.
Renowned for producing sides with an exciting and progressive possession-based approach, Williams won numerous plaudits for the outstanding football played by his record-breaking Notts County side.
The 2022-23 campaign saw them rack up 107 points, scoring a league record 117 goals while conceding just 42 producing another league record goal difference, and setting a new club record of 25 league games unbeaten.
They also won 32 of their 46 league games, yet another club record, before they were promoted via the play-offs courtesy of victory over Chesterfield on penalties after twice coming from behind.
This season they are sitting fifth in the League Two table after impressively making the step up to the EFL with their eye-catching style of play, and they are currently the top scorers in the top four divisions with 55 goals in 26 games.
Sporting director Paul Watson said of Williams, “We know Luke can coach the style of play we want, in part because he was an integral part of delivering it here in training sessions when he was an assistant. Luke’s ability is also backed by the data and results. He is a great fit for Swansea City and our ambitions.”
Williams’ own playing career saw him have stints in non-league and in the Norwich City academy, before a knee injury curtailed his on-field ambitions.
He quickly moved into coaching, working at Leyton Orient and West Ham United, before becoming a coach in the FA Skills programme.
From there Williams joined Brighton & Hove Albion, becoming manager of their under-21 and reserve sides.
He became assistant manager at Swindon in 2013 and helped them reach the League One play-off final in 2015, where they lost to Preston North End.
Williams then had a successful 14 months at the helm of the Robins before becoming coach of Bristol City Under-23s, where his work in player development was praised by those in the senior set-up.
He was an assistant at MK Dons before his move to Swansea and his successful time with Notts County.