The Swede has become one of the early favourites to take over at Swansea City
Kim Hellberg (Image: YouTube)
Kim Hellberg appears to be the early front-runner to succeed Alan Sheehan at Swansea City.
The Swede is odds-on with some bookies to take the job, with sources in Sweden suggesting the club had already held talks with the current Hammarby boss.
A deal isn’t believed to be close at this stage, but the two parties have been on each other’s radar for some time.
Hellberg came very close to taking the job when Luke Williams was dismissed, but the club ultimately opted for Alan Sheehan, after the Irishman oversaw a hugely impressive run of results to steer the Swans away from the relegation zone and into the top half of the table.
However, it’s understood he still made a hugely positive impression on the Swans hierarchy, and he’s believed to have been keeping a close eye on developments over the last few weeks.
Appointing Hellberg will be seen as a risk by some given his lack of experience in English football, but he has emerged as one of the most promising young coaches in Europe.
He currently has one year left on his current deal in Sweden, which has perhaps placed his future under further scrutiny, and the situation hasn’t gone unnoticed by Hammarby sporting director Mikael Hjelmberg, who recently seemed hopeful the club can tie him down to an extended deal.
“There is an ongoing dialogue with Kim and his representative and has been for a while,” he told Swedish outlet Aftonbladet last week.
“At the moment there is nothing new to report there.
“Our preferred scenario is of course that we find an agreement with Kim about an extension. He is a fantastically competent and good football coach who has done a great job for Hammarby and we would like to see him continue at Hammarby.
“He has a contract for next year as well and that is what we are looking at.
“We have a contract with Kim and he is in a great place and he has done a great job. We absolutely assume that Kim will coach Hammarby in 2026 as well.”
Other names in the early Swansea running including former bosses Russell Martin and Brendan Rodgers.
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