Chris Davies: Arthritic player, columnist, trusted coaching assistant - who is Swansea City target?
- Published
Chris Davies (L) was Brendan Rodgers' right-hand man at Leicester City, Liverpool and Celtic
He is the highly rated Tottenham Hotspur coach who could be handed the chance to be a manager in his own right at Swansea City.
But while Chris Davies may be a new name to some, his journey to potential Championship management has not come out of the blue.
At 38, Davies already has more than a decade's worth of experience behind him having served as a key figure in Brendan Rodgers' coaching staff at Leicester City, Liverpool and Celtic.
Now he has emerged as a leading candidate to replace Michael Duff at the club where he took his first steps in senior football.
Davies spent two seasons with Swansea under Rodgers as the club gained promotion to the Premier League, although his connection with the Northern Irishman began at Reading.
Born in Watford, Davies had been a promising player with the Royals, serving as captain of the Reading youth sides Rodgers oversaw while also winning caps up to under-19 level for Wales, qualifying via his father.
But he was forced to shelve plans of making it as a professional at the age of 19, his dreams ended by an arthritic condition.
Davies opted to pursue a career in coaching, starting out with holiday camps and junior sessions before furthering his experience overseas in the United States and New Zealand.
He had stayed in touch with Rodgers - who had also turned to coaching young after injury - and the relationship saw him handed the role of performance analyst at Swansea in 2010.
Yet those around the club could see that this was also an apprenticeship of sorts, with Davies having more recently admitted he was eager to bolster his knowledge and expertise given he had no stellar playing career to force his name forward.
Aware of the demands on modern managers stretching beyond the Saturday afternoon, Davies would sometimes study press conferences from the back of the room while also offering insights to the team's playing methods in a regular local newspaper column.
With the team's style earning high praise as well as a mid-table finish in the Premier League, Davies' remit was extended to coaching Swansea's reserve side.
Despite having still to finish his coaching badges, Rodgers took Davies to Liverpool in 2012 as opposition scout before then entrusting him with the role of assistant when he moved to Celtic in 2016.
Back-to-back doubles in Scotland followed before an FA Cup with Leicester, Davies increasingly visible on the touchline as a key man in Rodgers' success, although both were to leave the Foxes in April prior to the club's relegation from the top flight.
Even before then, Davies had not hidden an ambition to go it alone in management, believing he was ready to take a frontline job of his own.
Indeed, he had been of interest to Swansea last summer as they eyed replacements for Russell Martin and is thought to have spoken to his former club's hierarchy.
But as Swansea swayed towards Duff and delayed in a decision, Davies had already been courted by Tottenham to become part of Ange Postecoglou's new backroom in north London with the Australian having admired his fellow former Celtic man from afar.
Still, while Davies believed the opportunity was an exciting step forward, it is thought he still retained a desire to become a manager at the right time.
Whether Swansea can persuade Davies they are the right opportunity at the right time - and coax Spurs into parting with him - remains to be seen.
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