Jardim hopes Swans are on the 'right track'

Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim had two spells as a coach at Swansea

Newport County head coach Nelson Jardim hopes Swansea City will be back on the “right track” as a result of an ownership change.

Majority owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan are in the process of selling their stake in Swansea City to fellow shareholders Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt and Nigel Morris, along with businessman Jason Cohen.

Jardim had a long association with the Swans as a coach, first joining the club in 2009 under Paulo Sousa.

He subsequently re-joined the club in 2017 as a lead academy coach and then first team coach under Francesco Guidolin, Paul Clement and Carlos Carvahal.

Now Jardim hopes the ownership alteration and possible extra finance from the change, will strengthen a club about which he still has strong feelings.

“The club is important for the city and the country and hopefully they will find that right track, because Swansea belongs to the Premier League and hopefully they will go back," said Jardim.

Jardim recalled he first met Levien and Kaplan who bought a 68% stake in Swansea, then a Premier League club, in 2016.

“I got to know them for the first time in Washington, during a pre-season when Guidolin was there. They were great to us, fantastic, with big projects for the club. They were very focussed and very good to us.”

Portuguese coach Jardim now devotes his full focus to his first managerial role, with Newport County, under former Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins.

But he still has strong feelings for the Championship outfit which he left to join Aitor Karanka’s Birmingham City in 2020.

“I don’t hide my feelings. The club is close to my heart because of my past good years there.

"It is such a big club and and important club for me and my family.”