Football
ESPN staff 7y

Swansea dismiss Francesco Guidolin, appoint former U.S. boss Bob Bradley

Swansea City have named former United States boss Bob Bradley as their new coach after parting company with Francesco Guidolin.

Bradley, 58, had been linked with the position last week as Guidolin came under pressure following a poor run of results, and the Italian has been dismissed after Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, which left the club 17th in the Premier League.

Swansea have now turned to Bradley, who had been in charge of French second-tier side Le Havre and becomes the first American to take charge of a club in any of Europe's top five leagues.

Bradley called the Swansea job "a unique opportunity" in a parting message on Le Havre's website.

"I also know that it is thanks to the exposure this club have given me I can now today coach in the Premier League."

Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins told the club's official website: "We are delighted Bob has agreed to join us. He is highly regarded as a coach and has a wealth of experience on the international and domestic front.

"He is well aware of the club's footballing philosophy and will provide us with strong leadership qualities and a renewed belief to compete at this level. It is never easy changing managers, but we are looking at a long-term appointment and we are confident Bob can settle us down and stabilise matters on and off the pitch."

Guidolin, who turned 61 on Monday, had taken charge at the Liberty Stadium in January and guided the club to Premier League safety, finishing in 12th position.

Jenkins said: "We are obviously disappointed to part company with Francesco. We felt he deserved his opportunity after the work he did last season.

"Unfortunately we have not been able to carry performances over from last season and we felt we needed to change things as soon as possible in order to move forward in a positive way.

"We would like to thank Francesco and his staff for their services to the club and wish them well for the future.''

In July, an American consortium led by Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien bought a controlling stake in Swansea. Landon Donovan, a U.S. international during Bradley's tenure, is also a shareholder.

Bradley was in charge of the U.S. national team from 2006 to 2011, including for the 2010 World Cup, before being replaced by Jurgen Klinsmann.

He then managed the Egypt national team and enjoyed a successful spell with Stabaek, helping the Norwegian club qualify for the Europa League for the first time.

He joined Le Havre last November and just missed out on promotion to Ligue 1 in May.

Le Havre announced the appointment of Oswald Tanchot as Bradley's replacement on Monday.

Bradley said: "On the one hand, I would have liked to see the project through by taking the team up at the end of the season. On the other hand, I thank HAC [Le Havre] and president [Vincent] Volpe for allowing me the chance to coach in the world's leading league.

"It is a unique opportunity and I will not forget HAC and the president have made it possible for me to take it at this moment during the season. I also know I can now coach in the Premier League thanks to the exposure this club has offered me.

"I have total confidence in Oswald's work. It has been a pleasure working with him and I know he is up to the set task: a Ligue 1 return. I will certainly continue to be a strong supporter of HAC."

Le Havre president Volpe said he was satisfied that Tanchot, who had been Bradley's assistant, would be a strong appointment.

"I am pleased for two reasons," he said. "Firstly, because we have helped Bob to reach the Premier League and secondly because Oswald is succeeding him as coach. When Bob Bradley arrived in November of 2015, we hoped to team them up so that this promising young coach could learn from his time in contact with the former U.S. men's national team boss.

"We also convinced Oswald to stay at the club this summer because he was wanted by others. We explained to him that he was well positioned to become coach in the medium to long term. We already anticipated the current situation and the senior side will now be led by Oswald Tanchot, holder of the BEPF [FFF coaching badge]."

Le Havre are currently 11th in Ligue 2.

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