Klopp’s former assistant set for English football return as ‘advanced talks’ take place.
A former member of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool coaching team is reportedly set for a potential return to English football, emerging as a frontrunner for a vacant managerial role. Vitor Matos, who arrived at Anfield just over six years ago as an elite development coach, played a key part in bridging academy talent to the first team and helped organise senior training sessions.
Matos departed Liverpool alongside Klopp and most of his staff at the end of the 2023/24 season, later serving as Pep Lijnders’ assistant at Red Bull Salzburg until Lijnders’ dismissal last December.
The 37-year-old has since taken on his first senior managerial position with Maritimo in Portugal this past June, but fresh reports suggest he may be preparing for a third move in only 18 months. According to Football Insider, he is now in “advanced talks” with Swansea City over their vacant managerial role following the dismissal of Alan Sheehan last week.
Keen to return to English football, Matos is said to be very interested in the opportunity, and Swansea hope to finalise his appointment before their clash with Bristol City on Saturday.
The Championship club initially pursued Hammarby manager Kim Hellberg, but he is now close to taking over at promotion-chasing Middlesbrough (via The Athletic). Meanwhile, Matos has enjoyed an encouraging start at Maritimo, winning six of his 12 matches and guiding them to third place in Portugal’s second division.
Despite being at the early stages of his managerial career, he has already earned praise for his “attacking football, tactical clarity, and engaging presence in press conferences” (The Athletic).
Klopp himself described Matos as an “outstanding coach” when bringing him to Liverpool in 2019, and he was widely recognised for helping integrate new signings who were not yet confident in English.
Should Swansea complete the deal, Matos would appear to be a smart and forward-thinking appointment. However, he’ll be under immediate pressure to turn things around after a poor run left the club sitting 18th in the Championship. Still, with two-thirds of the season remaining, bridging the eight-point gap to the play-offs is far from impossible — and if Matos does return to England soon, Swansea will hope he can sp
ark a revival.