Swansea City Coach Vitor Matos Awaits Staff Clearance
Head coach Vitor Matos has expressed uncertainty regarding the status of his backroom team from former club Maritimo and their ability to join him at Swansea City.
Matos is eager to bring fellow Portuguese coaches Diogo Medeiros, Toze Mendes, and analyst Goncalo Ricca to Swansea. However, ten days after his appointment as the successor to Alan Sheehan, the club is still awaiting confirmation on whether these individuals will receive clearance to work in Wales.
"It’s something that is not in the control of the club," Matos stated. "It’s a legal process that came with Brexit, which is the issue we are facing."
The United Kingdom's departure from the European Union in 2020 eliminated the automatic right for EU citizens to live and work in the UK. Matos, who previously spent five years on Jurgen Klopp's coaching staff at Liverpool after joining in 2019, added: "I was here working long before, so I was completely fine. The staff were not, so they need to go through all the necessary processes, and that takes time."
Swansea City requires clearance from both the Home Office and the Football Association before appointing Medeiros, Mendes, and Ricca. While Matos remains optimistic that his former colleagues will eventually join him, he acknowledged that the club is still uncertain about the outcome.
"We did everything the relevant authorities asked us to do, and now we must wait for the panel to make a decision," Matos commented.
In the meantime, Matos has been working alongside long-serving coach Kristian O’Leary and head of goalkeeping Martyn Margetson at Swansea, with club legends Leon Britton and Joe Allen assisting on a short-term basis.
When asked if the absence of his familiar backroom team has made his role more challenging, Matos replied, "I wouldn’t say harder, but different. I think 'different' is the right word because my coaching staff understands my playing philosophy and how I develop that style, which is different without them here."
He added, "Joey and Leon have been absolutely brilliant in trying to grasp my expectations while also providing insights about the team, the club, and the players. I’m really happy to have them with me; they are legends of the club, and I hold that in high regard. So, the right answer is that it’s certainly different."
Swansea City has lost both of its matches under Matos, falling to Derby County at home and to West Bromwich Albion last weekend. The team is currently just outside the Championship relegation zone on goal difference, having suffered five consecutive league defeats. The pressure is mounting to reverse this trend when they host 20th-placed Oxford United on Saturday.