Swansea City dismiss scouting team
- Published
Swansea manager Graham Potter will take the lead on recruitment
Swansea City have removed all their current scouting team and will instead give new manager Graham Potter the lead role on transfer strategy.
Head of recruitment Dave Leadbeater is replaced by Potter's former Ostersunds FK assistant Kyle Macaulay.
A Swansea statement from owners Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien and chairman Huw Jenkins confirmed the changes.
"Graham will decide which areas of the team or squad need strengthening," read the statement.
"Kyle will identify the key targets, research and study all the available information including scouting reports and data before providing a list to be pursued."
Technical recruitment scout Ian Henderson and assistant Ian Roscrow, plus former manager Brian Flynn and ex-goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel - who had been serving as a scout in Germany - will also be leaving.
While Tremmel and Flynn were appointed in the last 18 months, Leadbeater has been at Swansea since 2010 while Henderson joined the club in 2012.
It is thought Dan Altman, the American data analytics expert Swansea have used in the past, will retain a role although with likely reduced involvement.
Swansea had been criticised for the lack of impact made by new signings during last season, as they were relegated from the Premier League after seven seasons in the top flight.
Potter, 43, who has replaced Carlos Carvalhal as Swansea manager, and Macaulay met with Jenkins and American pair Kaplan and Levien in Washington last week with recruitment high on the agenda.
The new boss is believed to have already identified potential targets, although he wants to assess the current squad when players report back for pre-season next week.
It remains unclear whether the moves affect plans to appoint a new technical director role, with Potter confirmed as having "the final say in the recruitment process".