After losing Graham Potter after just a year in charge this summer, Swansea City had a tough decision to make.
The Swans were progressing well under the former Östersunds FK manager and keen to continue on the path he had set them on.
They, therefore, had to find a manager that could continue to follow the club’s plan and finding that man was likely to have been an extensive search.
Ultimately Swansea elected to hire Steve Cooper as Potter’s replacement, bringing the Welshman in from England’s Under 17 setup.
That’s proved to be a smart decision so far, with Swansea sitting top of the Championship after seven games of the season.
It seems there was a chance they could have gone down a different route, though, with former FC Nürnberg boss Michael Köllner claiming he was the last competitor to Cooper for the role.
“My English is quite passable. That’s okay. I’m still on it. You’re probably addressing me on Swansea City, right?” he told Onetz in a recent interview.
“That was an issue in summer. For me, it would still be appealing to go abroad, which, of course, is not a must. I was one of the last two applicants (for Swansea).
“When I heard of the strong interest, we met in London. It was about how I will play football, my assessment of the squad. I also learned a lot.
“I learned that I needed a complete coaching staff before. I was still talking hectically before the meeting and put together my potential staff.
“In the course of this, I realised that I should spend more time planning. And now I’m ready.”
