Leon Britton has played for 13 Swansea City managers, coached under two and even had a hand in appointing one.
There are few people who have a better idea, therefore, of what it takes to be a successful Swansea boss.
And while these are early days in the reign of Vitor Matos, Britton has seen encouraging signs.
“I’ve been highly impressed,” says Britton, who has returned to Swansea as a first-team coach under Matos.
“His messages are clear, what he wants from the players, and I think that’s been seen on the pitch.
“Even in the short time that he’s had, I think it’s clear that the ideas that he’s got have transmitted to matchdays. I think that’s always a sign of a good manager.”
Britton has quickly learned how Matos works having answered the call from Swansea, the club where he made more than 500 appearances across all four divisions between 2002 and 2018, in November.
When Matos was appointed successor to Alan Sheehan, the Portuguese was unable – initially – to bring his backroom team from former club Maritimo to Wales due to employment rules.
Swansea therefore asked Britton and fellow Swans legend Joe Allen to return to the club as temporary members of Matos’ staff.
Britton was en route to London for a weekend away when Swansea’s club secretary rang “out of the blue”.
Come Monday morning, he reported for duty at the training ground.
“The club said they’d appointed the new manager and he might just need some help until he gets his staff sorted,” Britton explains.
“When the club call, if I can help, I’ve always said I’ll always be here to help.
“It wasn’t even something to think about. It was ‘I’ll be in Monday and I’ll come and meet the manager and off we go’.”
After retiring eight years ago, Britton had a brief spell out of football – aside from a club ambassador role – before becoming an advisor to Swansea’s board.
Having been a major part of the recruitment process which led to the appointment of Steve Cooper as head coach, he was promoted to sporting director.
After a season in the role, Britton stepped down to “take a break from the game” but stressed that he hoped to return to Swansea’s staff at some point down the line.
While the chance to do so has come unexpectedly, the 43-year-old is now hoping to stick around for a while.
The original plan was for Britton and Allen to step aside once Matos’ Maritimo staff joined him in Wales.
Yet when the arrivals of four new faces were confirmed before Christmas, it was announced that Britton and Allen would be staying on.
“I think in the time that we worked together, we got on well – myself, Joe, the manager and the guys around,” Britton says.
“When it came to the point where the staff was sorted, there was a conversation to have with the manager and the club.
“They said ‘we’d like you to stay on in a capacity which would be good for the club and that would suit you’. So we came to an agreement which is why I’m still here, me and Joe, and still on the grass with the manager.”
As a first-team coach, Britton is part of training every day as well as the various meetings through the week, including discussions over team selection.
While he and Allen are in the stands for home games, they will not usually be present on away days.
The plan, Britton says, is for the arrangement to be a “long-term thing”.
“I think it’s a contract that runs until both sides aren’t happy or they want to split,” he says. “Hopefully it’ll be for a long time.”
Matos joined Swansea after spells in his homeland and as assistant at Red Bull Salzburg, having previously spent five years as part of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Former Wales midfielder Allen had left Liverpool by the time Matos arrived on Merseyside, but has been reminded of the German’s methods in the last couple of months.
“You can definitely see speaking with Joey that he’s picked up a lot from his time working at Liverpool and under Jurgen Klopp,” Britton says.
“The main focus has been working on the press and counter-press. If you look at Liverpool’s teams with Jurgen Klopp, I think that’s one of the main things you’d say [was associated] with him.
“So I think he’s obviously brought that into the club and again, I think you can see that on match days, the way the boys are working so hard to press. They’re running really hard to win the ball back when they lose it.”
While the press has been Matos’ priority, Britton expects to see more focus on Swansea’s approach in possession in the weeks and months ahead.
Britton was part of Swansea’s playing squad when Roberto Martinez was named manager 19 years ago.
A memorable period in Swansea’s history followed, with the high-possession game introduced by Martinez being key to their successes even after he moved on.
While there has been much debate about the definition of the so-called ‘Swansea Way’, particularly in the wake of relegation from the Premier League in 2018, Britton believes that a desire to dominate games by controlling the ball remains key.
“We talk about the pressing, but obviously this football club will always have a big emphasis on keeping the ball and possession football,” he says.
“Every manager has their own stamp, but I think you can see Vitor is full of passion, he’s enthusiastic, he’s a really good guy. I think he’s settled into the club and the city really well. So far he seems like a great fit.”
