Darren O'Dea | The chance to join Swansea City was one I had to take

Assistant head coach Darren O’Dea believes his decision to leave boyhood club Celtic underlines just how big an opportunity he considers his move to Swansea City to be.

The 38-year-old has become Alan Sheehan’s number two ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, making the switch from Parkhead, where he had served as player pathway manager.

O’Dea came through the academy ranks with the Bhoys to reach the senior side, lift silverware and feature in the Champions League, and returned to the Scottish giants shortly after hanging up his boots.

The former defender worked as under-18s coach and Celtic ‘B’ coach, and got to spend time with the first-team set-ups under Brendan Rodgers and recent Europa League winner Ange Postecoglou.

He admits his attachment to Celtic meant the decision to leave was a tough one, but that the chance to join a club of Swansea’s reputation and stature meant was one he had to grasp with both hands.

“I am delighted, I knew of the interest and I spoke with Alan a number of weeks ago,” he said.

“Obviously I have been with a club I have grown up in, so it was difficult to come to terms with the decision in terms of leaving, but once I spoke to him and had an insight into what the club is wanting to do, I wanted to join.

“I had a good understanding of the club anyway, but it’s a really exciting project, one I wanted to be a part of and I am delighted it is done now.

“I would not have left Celtic unless it was for something I felt very strongly about. Of course, the club and its prestige and the intensity of it is something I am used to, and I wanted to work with and for Alan.

“You combine those two things, and the conversations I have had with other people at the club who will be working with us, and it just fits. It’s something I am really happy to be part of.

“I think Alan and I are similar in terms of how we work and how we see things. He will be the one making the decisions, but I was clear I did not want to work in a way where I would sacrifice principles that I have got, and the conversations I had mean I know we are not going to be doing that.

“When the question came, it was a ‘yes’.”

O’Dea spoke to Rodgers about the chance to come to Swansea when the opportunity arose, and received a ringing endorsement from the former Swans boss.

And O’Dea also recalled his own impressions and experiences from facing Swansea as a player when weighing up the move.

“I played against Swansea a few times, and there are some that stand out,” he continued.

“When I was with Ipswich, I came up against Nathan Dyer, who was on the right wing.

“Now, obviously, he is a lot smaller than me and I just could not get hold of him, so I tried to kick him.

“But, ironically, he left a bit on me and I was the one who went off injured. I got second prize that day for sure!

“But I can tell you, and I genuinely mean this, I had three different spells in the Championship with Leeds, Reading and Ipswich, and I can tell you that team under Brendan was the best Championship team I ever faced.

“They had everything, they had speed and control. If you pressed them, they could go over you, if you sat off them they could break you down, and when you had it they did everything they could to make sure you did not have it for long.

“This club is similar to Celtic in that it has a real identity, it is not just enough to come in here and just win, there needs to be more. There needs to be a product on the pitch that the fans relate to. 

“Speaking to Brendan, who has been brilliant in all this, he talked about the fanbase having a big understanding of their football. He could not have spoken more highly of the club and the city, and the DNA of the club.

“That is a real big driver in me wanting to come here, it’s really important to me.”

As part of his role with Celtic, O’Dea watched a number of Swansea games last season and was impressed with the strong manner in which they finished last term; taking 17 points from the last eight games.

And he is eager to get down to work with the players and the rest of the coaching and backroom staff when pre-season commences in a few weeks.

“The guys here did a fantastic job over the final part of last season, I watched a number of games last season while I was at Celtic as it was part of my responsibilities to be monitoring and watching football across Europe,” said O’Dea.

“I am well versed in what the team looks like, and the players, I am looking forward to getting to know them.

“I cannot wait to get going, my family will be moving with me and we will find somewhere to live.

"We want to make sure everything is set up, because we want to be able to make a fast start.

"We are fully concentrated on that, and we will go for it."