It’s a subject which has caused Swansea City fans to enter into much discussion this past week since the treble was done over near rivals Cardiff City. That topic is extending or at least improving Russell Martin’s current contract as Swansea manager.
With Russell Martin comes assistant coach Matt Gill and an assembled coaching team who would all fall in to some form of bracket for their own improvements in salary as well. That bit is crucial as we know Russell Martin will insist on that as a part of any new deal. The speculation on Dean Smith’s future at Norwich City has caused press speculation as to Martin’s future at the swans, even though the east Anglian club still retain Smith’s services.
Martin commented this morning. "They have a really good manager, Dean. I still know a lot of people at the club, a lot of good friends in and around the area, but that's as far as it goes. They’ve got a great manager in Dean” That should concern swans fans as Martin has stated he would only leave Swansea for something ‘very special’ We believe that Norwich City or Brighton come into that bracket, Brighton more so, but by making that statement Martin is indeed placing his cards on the table. On him being connected to Norwich Martin said. "I've got no doubt that they'll pick up results again at some point soon so not really. We're in a job that we absolutely love with people we absolutely love doing it with. That’s the most important thing really”
The situation is now a simple one, the swans can undermine any further speculation by offering new terms to Martin and his staff, or sit back and wait for a club to come in who can pay the release clauses for him plus match his demands. It will run into the low millions for sure. For Martin to be commenting on the current Norwich City situation is unusual as well. But it does leave doors open.
Assistant Matt Gill also has links to the canaries. He played and coached at Carrow Road. Picture below.
We have made some inquiries through our close sources and if Martin was to match Dean Smith’s salary at Norwich it would cost in the region of 1.2 million pounds a year. Plus a big bonus if Norwich were promoted at the first attempt. Those figures would never be offered to Martin outside of a premier league return for Swansea City. Through outside interests and his football career Martin has carefully increased his net worth to in excess of eighteen million pounds, he isn’t a man desperate to seek out money to keep his lifestyle on track. To that end the swans who have gained multi millions from the sale of Flynn Downes to West Ham have to see the current tentative discussions to improve the coaching staff and their contracts as not essential.
That’s the strength of it.
As Martin states. "We’re really happy here and I hope we're here for a long time, and I mean that. The club have spoken about potentially extending our stay and all that stuff so we'll see how that goes. We're more than open to that. We would like that. That’s up to the club to decide whether we’re doing a good enough job for that. It’s been 15 months of really hard work. I hope everyone can see we’re on the right path, hopefully early on in the journey together, but how well we do on the pitch will impact how long we’re here”
Those words are crucial, Martin is consolidating his position by illustrating his work to date, and the fact- and it can’t be disputed that improvement is ongoing and potentially more is to come. Russell Martin will most certainly get the attention of clubs with more spending power and big ambitions as this season progresses. Whether or not they see him as a replacement that can bring immediate results is another thing. He has been fire fighting his position at both MK Dons and Swansea since entering management, to date we see improvements at Swansea that have peaked the interest of other clubs, that’s a dead cert.
Convincing people you are the real deal by way of your weekly results is the hardest thing a coach and manager can do, it’s no different to living on your last result to retain your position at a club. If that continues at Swansea Martin may well believe he has reached the pinnacle regards all he can do in west Wales. There’s much more to come on this, unless of course the swans move quick to extend or improve his contract. But as we said we see that as in the non essential basket for now.
In Martin we have another manager who comes to Swansea like Cooper, Martinez, Potter and Rodgers before him who looks upwards not downwards. It may well be the best solution is ala Rodgers when he agreed a contract with Huw Jenkins one month, with a huge buy out and left the next ? The swans gained seven million pounds as a result from Liverpool, is that the real business here ? More importantly is this really what all this is about ?