The three-hour conversation that convinced Luke Williams to join Swansea City as Andy Coleman explains search delay
The new Swans boss was unveiled by the club on Friday evening
Luke Williams has revealed that Andy Coleman drove to his house to spend three hours convincing the Notts County boss to join Swansea City.
Williams was officially unveiled as Swansea boss on Friday evening, bringing an end to a process that's lasted 32 days, and he revealed that the passion shown by the club chairman was a key factor in convincing him to seal a return to the club he left back in 2022.
"I’ve had experience with this club already and I know how fantastic it is," Williams said. "When the chairman drives to your house and spends three hours in your living room and with passion explains everything he wants to achieve. It’s very, very difficult to turn down.
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"The contact was made initially with my agent. We spoke a couple of times on Zoom. I had a call from my agent to say Andy has just left the Mumbles and was on the way to my house. That was when the hoover came out! We rushed around a little to tidy up. That was the moment I realised things were very serious. It was such an incredible experience and after that I was so excited.
"The time I was here, I loved. I just enjoyed the experience so much. I didn’t need to speak to Russell (Martin). He’s so busy. I didn’t need to. I already knew everything. The conversations we had with Andy were so powerful. It was very easy for me."
Williams brings assistant Ryan Harley and first team analyst George Lawtey with him to the Swansea.com Stadium, while previous interim boss Alan Sheehan, who took 11 points from his seven games in caretaker charge, is among those to stay at the club.
"The guys who have come with me Ryan and George are passionate about the jobs they do," Williams added. "First and foremost the thing they share is the work ethic. They’re just relentless in their work and passionate about the jobs they do. I’m lucky to inherit Alan Sheehan as a staff member.
"He can do the job on his own. Imagine we have more people trying in the same way. It’s a brilliant opportunity.We have a goalkeeper coach who works with England. It’s pinch yourself stuff."
Williams has been particularly impressed by the job done by Sheehan, and says he's already been impressed by the Irishman's enthusiasm for the job at hand.
"I’m so impressed with him and the the job he did," he added. "Meeting him, I’m more impressed with him as a man. The commitment he has to the group and the club is really impressive. You talk to him immediately and he’s invested. He knows the players really, really well.
"He’s desperate to do well. If he was down and flat when I came in I would understand that, but it’s been the opposite. He’s come in straight away. Really enthusiastic, helping and involved in every single thing we’re trying to do already."
Predecessor Michael Duff was sacked on December, and Sheehan's temporary reign has been punctuated by frustrations from the terraces, with Coleman and other members of the hierarchy on the receiving end.
"There’s always going to be pressure on me as chairman," Coleman told the press. "I take that with great value and respect. My job is to lead this club forward.
"Winning matters to me and building respect within the community matters. We talk about the Swansea Way, it’s all encapsulating. What we we need is our supporters, our team and chairman all aligned. That’s what I’m working towards."
When asked why the search took so long, he added: "We wanted to make a really smart, thoughtful and thorough choice. The reason we were able to take our time for so long was the confidence I had in Alan Sheehan.
"We wanted to make sure we ended up with the perfect and right fit to lead this football club forward."
Williams will kick off his reign as Swansea boss on Saturday, with the Swans taking on Morecambe in the FA Cup third round.