‘Last thing’ Swansea wanted to do, as Paul Clement is sacked

Swansea have sacked manager Paul Clement with the club rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.

Clement, 45, had been under increasing pressure and the Swans have confirmed his departure after Monday night’s 3-1 defeat at Everton left them four points adrift of safety.

Swansea have lost all but two of their last 10 league games and have registered just 12 points from their opening 18 fixtures.

“Swansea City can confirm that the club has parted company with head coach Paul Clement,” Swansea said in a statement on their official website. “Assistant managers Nigel Gibbs and Karl Halabi have also left the club.”

Former Derby boss Clement had been in the role for less than 12 months after replacing Bob Bradley in January this year.

Swansea were in the relegation zone when Clement took charge and he steered them to safety as the club finished 15th at the end of last season.

But the Swans have won only three league games this time around, scoring 10 goals, and chairman Huw Jenkins said the club could not leave it any longer.

Jenkins said: “To change the manager, especially at only the halfway point of the season, is the last thing we wanted to do as a club.

“We had three different managers last season and as a result we all wanted to give Paul as much time as possible to turn things around.

“But we felt we couldn’t leave it any longer and needed to make a change to give us the best chance of an uplift and a turnaround in fortunes with the club bottom of the Premier League.

“Paul has been at the club for 12 months and what he achieved in the second half of last season to keep us in the top flight was a tremendous feat.

“For that, and his effort and commitment this season, it goes without saying that the club thanks him for his work, together with Nigel (Gibbs) and Karl (Halabi).

“I have had an excellent working relationship with Paul and we are all, including the owners, surprised and disappointed it hasn’t worked out this season.

“We wish Paul every success in his career going forward.”

The club confirmed they will provide an update on the management team’s replacements “within the next 24 hours”.

Clement has previously worked as assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris St Germain.

He succeeded former England boss Steve McClaren as manager of Derby before being sacked after eight months in the role in February 2016.