Swansea City announce sacking of Paul Clement

By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter | 20 December 2017

Swansea City announce the sacking of manager Paul Clement and assistants Nigel Gibbs and Karl Halabi, with the Welsh club bottom of the Premier League table.

Swansea City have announced the dismissal of manager Paul Clement with the club bottom of the Premier League table.

The 45-year-old took charge in January with Swansea in the relegation zone and guided them to a 15th-place finish in the 2016-17 campaign.

However, the Welsh outfit currently sit four points from safety at the foot of the table, having won just three league games all season.

As well as Clement's departure, Swansea confirmed that assistant managers Nigel Gibbs and Karl Halabi have also left the club.

"To change the manager, especially at only the halfway point of the season, is the last thing we wanted to do as a club," chairman Huw Jenkins said in a statement.

"We had three different managers last season and as a result we all wanted to give Paul as much time as possible to turn things around.

"But we felt we couldn't leave it any longer and needed to make a change to give us the best chance of an uplift and a turnaround in fortunes with the club bottom of the Premier League.

"Paul has been at the club for 12 months and what he achieved in the second half of last season to keep us in the top flight was a tremendous feat. For that, and his effort and commitment this season, it goes without saying that the club thanks him for his work, together with Nigel and Karl.

"I have had an excellent working relationship with Paul and we are all, including the owners, surprised and disappointed it hasn't worked out this season. We wish Paul every success in his career going forward."

Before joining Swansea, Clement had worked as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant manager at Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and had also managed Championship side Derby County.