Bob Bradleys’ Swansea City are currently 19th in the Premier League, already six points away from safety. Since Francesco Guidolin was sacked and replaced by Bradley, the club have picked up 1 point from four games.
During Swansea’s last match against Manchester United, a 3-1 loss at the Liberty Stadium, fans could be heard singing ‘We want our our club back’, and there’s certainly a gloom around the place right now.
Guidolin could be forgiven for feeling harshly treated, and he probably was. The Italian manager did a good job to keep Swansea up last season, and a hard run of fixtures seemed to slip toward the inevitable sack from owners keen to bring their own man in.
Whilst Guidolin was hurt by the change, it’s certainly not dampened his enthusiasm for Swansea, Wales and the Premier League.
Speaking to Guerin Sportivo magazine in Italy, Guidolin was asked how it felt to manage in Wales: “It was a wonderful surprise. I was impressed by the kindness of the people, the way of behaving towards others. And the attachment of everyone to the national team, which by the way, after the exploits in the Euros, is doing well in the World Cup qualifiers.”
When Guidolin arrived at Swansea, there were jokes of players having to Google him to find out more, and the Italian confirmed it: “It’s true, but I took it. Then there was the joy and the satisfaction of having created a strong bond both with the team and with the people of Swansea: the Welsh are proud, but real, concrete.”
In a very respectful career, getting sacked by Swansea was a shock for Guidolin – “A relatively new experience for me, in Italy in this sense – in thirty years of career – I was lucky.” – but it certainly hasn’t put him off the idea of returning to manage in the Premier League one day.
Asked if he’d consider a return to the PL, Gudiolin said: “Tomorrow morning, if there was an opportunity.”
