Vitor Matos | This club is about an identity that brings everyone together

New head coach Vitor Matos wants to bring a clear on-field identity to Swansea City that supporters can recognise and get behind.

The 37-year-old Portuguese has been confirmed as the new Swans boss after signing a contract through to the summer of 2029 in SA1.

He joins following an impressive spell in charge of Portuguese club Maritimo, where his team won plaudits for a high-energy attacking approach which had them in the upper reaches of the league table.

Matos also spent five years with Liverpool during a period of sustained success for the Anfield club, working closely with Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders.

And he has made clear he wants to return Swansea to being a side with a clear playing philosophy that supporters feel reflects them.

“Swansea, for me, have always had a style. Something that distinguished the club from all the others,” he said.

“Somehow we have got a bit far away from what is the DNA of the club. 

“So it will take steps, it will take a bit of time, but I really believe we can take steps in the right direction. 

“For that, we will need everyone, the whole club, all the fans and us all to have the same vision. 

“That’s what I want. I see the fans are still behind and pushing the team, we will need them and I see players who want to change the momentum and we need to find the right idea and the right vision to do it.

“That’s the most important thing. It is clear we need to win games and points, but we need to focus on the process and I really believe if we can play to our best then the more chances we will have to win. That’s the direction we need to have.”

Matos will take charge of the Swans for the first time when they host Derby County at the Swansea.com Stadium on Tuesday evening.

It is a quick turnaround, with Matos having had a watching brief for the weekend defeat against Bristol City.

But he is looking forward to taking charge of the Swans on home turf, in front of supporters he wants to make sure feel connected to the team and vice versa.

“One of the reasons I was so excited to come here was because of the fanbase. This is a place where that bond should be strong; the relationship between the fans, the coach and the team,” he added.

“When this bond is created it is massive, you can compete against everyone, you can win against everyone and that is what we need.

“We need to start being this team that no-one wants to face. We need to start that at our home, our sacred place, and we need to create that, for sure.

“We need to start delivering desire and hunger. We want to be a dominant team.

“I still haven’t had a chance to work with all the players and that will be a starting point.

“But it’s clear we want to be dominant with and without the ball, we want to be aggressive with and without the ball. It’s clear in this league we will need control, physicality and speed. 

“We will work every day from now on to be this team, to be as dominant as we can, to press as well as we can, and counter-pressing will be massive in giving us the intensity and momentum, and something that will identify how we play.

“It’s important we all feel as a team that we are part of them, and that they feel they are part of us on the pitch and we create this connection.”