Britton takes caretaker manager role

21st December
First team

Swansea City can confirm that Leon Britton will take charge of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at the Liberty Stadium.

The Swans stalwart has been handed the caretaker manager role while the club continues its search for a replacement for Paul Clement, who parted company with the club last night along with assistants Nigel Gibbs and Karl Halabi.

Britton, who stepped into a player-coaching role last month, will be assisted by under-23 coaches Gary Richards and Cameron Toshack. Goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts will also continue to assist.

The quartet took training this morning and Britton will face the media at 1pm this afternoon live on this website.

Further details on the managerial search will follow for supporters in due course.

Club legend Britton recently celebrated 15 years as a Swan.

He first arrived at Vetch Field on loan from West Ham back in 2002 and has since racked up more than 500 Swans appearances.

Fans' favourite Britton has helped the club to three promotions and been a central figure in the Premier League era.

Richards and Toshack have formed a successful coaching partnership having worked together with the Swans' under-18s and then the under-23s. 

They led the under-23 side to promotion by winning the Premier League 2 Division One title last season as well as lifting the Premier League Cup.

Richards, 54, came through the ranks at Vetch Field to play 84 first-team games for his home-city club between 1981 and 1985.

Toshack is the son of Swans legend John, and also spent time as a young player at the club in the late 1980s. The 47-year-old joined the academy coaching team in 2013.