Kris O'Leary has made the permanent step up to first team coach at Swansea City.
The club icon was previously in charge of Swansea's Under-23s but slotted in to Russell Martin's backroom team on an interim basis following the exit of Luke Williams last term. And ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, it has been confirmed that O'Leary will link-up with Russell Martin and Matt Gill in the dugout on a permanent basis.
O'Leary has played a pivotal role in the development of young guns including Cameron Congreve, Joel Cotterill and Azeem Abdulai - who all featured in senior squads last season. And head coach Martin believes O'Leary's knowledge of the club makes him a perfect fit for the senior team's coaching set-up.
“He shows an unbelievable care for what we are trying to do and the people at this football club,” said Martin. “He knows what this club stands for, he played for it and experienced the transition under Roberto Martinez.
“He has supported the club all his life and he has been brilliant with us since we have come in. It was amazing how much time he spent with us, and how he then translated that into the way the under-23s played and you could see the progression they made over the second half of last season.
“He has great knowledge of the game, a great understanding, but, every bit as importantly, he has been a great person. We are really happy and looking forward to continuing to work with him.”
O’Leary played 334 games for the Swans and won three promotions during his time as a player. His step up comes after the Swans appointed Andy Parslow as their new set-piece coach while Tom Barnden was recently named as the head of performance.
Swansea have confirmed that a replacement for O'Leary as coach of the Under-21s will be announced in due course.
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