Klopp's 'connector' – New Swansea Boss Matos

Inspired by Jose Mourinho, known arsenic Jurgen Klopp's 'connector' astatine Liverpool, and fixed nan backing of Luka Modric.

Now Vitor Matos has nan situation of becoming his ain man astatine Swansea City.

Matos became Swansea's 5th caller head successful 5 seasons erstwhile he was confirmed arsenic Alan Sheehan's replacement connected Monday.

It is nan 37-year-old's first frontline occupation successful British shot and comes aft conscionable 5 months arsenic a head pinch Portuguese second-tier broadside Maritimo.

But down that is simply a 2 decades travel to this point, starting astatine Porto and including becoming a cardinal inheritance fig for Liverpool done nan Klopp era.

By nan clip nan past 31-year-old Matos arrived astatine Anfield successful October 2019 arsenic elite improvement coach, he had already spent years processing himself.

Still a teen erstwhile Mourinho led section nine Porto to Champions League glory, it group Matos connected nan way to coaching. Working his measurement up nan Porto ranks arsenic a younker coach, he besides spent clip pinch Chinese Super League broadside Shandong Luneng earlier returning to coach Porto's B side.

It was astatine Porto wherever Matos first struck up a narration pinch Pep Lijnders, nan man who would spell connected to go Klopp's assistant.

Matos was nan man recommended to capable Lijnders' aged domiciled of nurturing nan champion academy talent astatine Anfield fresh for nan first team, spending clip connected nan training section pinch some nan under-23 and elder teams and charged pinch making judge each sides were aligned pinch nan shot they delivered.

Matos has been fixed astatine slightest partial in installments for nan improvement of nan likes of Curtis Jones, Neco Williams, Harvey Elliott, Sepp van den Berg and Jarrell Quansah.

Klopp described him arsenic nan relationship betwixt nan imaginable of nan academy and nan needs of nan Premier League.

"He's followed nan correct steps moving pinch Klopp," says Football Association of Wales (FAW) head of shot Dave Adams.

Matos completed his Pro Licence successful Wales alongside erstwhile Real Madrid number 2 Davide Ancelotti, ex-Nottingham Forest adjunct Mile Jedinak and erstwhile Wales and Swansea defender Neil Taylor.

"He'll decidedly play successful nan Swansea way, which I deliberation astatine times has been questioned successful erstwhile years," Adams said.

"I deliberation you'll spot a existent beardown identity, trying to beryllium really brave pinch nan shot and courageous, and I deliberation it'll beryllium a squad that are very fierce against nan shot - precocious pressing, counter-pressing."

It appears Klopp will not beryllium acold from Matos' scope erstwhile needed for proposal astatine Swansea, moreover if nan the legendary German coach is being kept engaged by his executive domiciled astatine nan Red Bull organisation.

"We speak often enough, he has a occupation arsenic good and he has not a batch of time, but we are still friends," said Matos.

"He's personification that I attraction a batch astir and he cares astir me, and that's a narration that I ever want to attraction about.

"We will speak and we will support speaking successful nan future."

After leaving Liverpool astatine nan aforesaid clip arsenic Klopp successful 2024, Matos spent clip pinch Lijnders astatine Red Bull Salzburg earlier taking complete astatine Maritimo successful Portugal's 2nd tier.

That was only 5 months ago, his only elder role, but it is acold from nan first clip Swansea person fixed rookies a chance.

Most notably, Roberto Martinez – now nan head of Portugal's Nations League-winning nationalist broadside - was still a 33-year-old subordinate erstwhile he was announced arsenic Swans boss.

And location person been newcomers specified arsenic Garry Monk, who led Swansea to their grounds Premier League points tally and eighth spot successful nan apical flight, while Graham Potter and Steve Cooper had not managed elder nine shot successful England earlier their appointments.

Matos is different. Despite his coaching pedigree, he has conscionable 12 games arsenic a frontline leader pinch Maritimo.

"I understand if that's thing that could interest immoderate people," said Matos.

"But astatine nan aforesaid time, I consciousness wholly prepared. If I was not prepared, I would not beryllium present and I dream that successful 1 aliases 2 months everyone feels overmuch much assured pinch everything.

"I'm present to effort and to move it astir that's for sure."

Swansea main executive Tom Gorringe said nan Championship nine made usage of statistical study during nan recruitment process, metrics from Matos' clip astatine Maritimo, placing him connected nan database of candidates earlier a elaborate position connected what is needed astatine Swansea won him nan job.

Matos besides had nan blessing of immoderate erstwhile players who were consulted, not to mention number proprietor Modric, nan Croatia and Real Madrid great.

"He was included successful nan process, not directly, truthful he's owed to speak to Vitor soon but hasn't done truthful yet," said Gorringe, adding that nan 2 were owed to speak successful much item successful nan coming days.

"Luka's been alert of a batch of nan process arsenic we move done it. He was privy to nan method position and sewage nan chance to reappraisal that - and he was a beardown advocator of wherever we've ended up.

"The much accusation that becomes disposable nan much investigation you do, nan much conversations you have, that consequence level reduces.

"Throughout nan process, Vitor's been exemplary successful each azygous area and yet you get much accusation and you do much owed diligence, and you get much of a emotion for each different and really it's going to work.

"As we've gone done that process, we've conscionable go much and much convinced this is nan correct fit."

On nan look of it, nan Matos-Swansea relationship seems for illustration a logical one.

Matos says he is simply a long-time admirer of nan Swans, particularly nan activity of erstwhile managers Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup.

This stylish, possession-based accuracy brought occurrence and silverware.

Now Matos wants to replicate that, whilst besides adopting nan high-intensity methods he learned nether Klopp.

"When I retrieve Swansea, thing that distinguished nan nine was that location was a clear identity, location was a clear DNA," said Matos.

"Somehow, successful betwixt we started losing that and that's what we request to rebuild together. So that's what nan fans tin expect. They tin expect a clear identity, they tin expect that, measurement by step, we are going successful that direction.

"It will return clip of course, location will beryllium ups and downs successful position of consistency and we request to find that consistency successful our measurement of playing, and successful nan extremity we will each beryllium proud of what we tin do connected nan pitch.

"We will request to effort to amended and that's nan astir important thing, that's what they tin expect, that successful nan extremity we tin go ascendant squad pinch and without nan ball, an fierce squad pressing and an fierce squad pinch nan ball, a squad that counter-presses is portion of nan DNA arsenic well, truthful that's what they tin expect."