Is this the next Swansea City head coach?

Minnesota United head coach Eric Ramsay has become the early bookmakers’ favourite for the vacant job at Swansea after Luke Williams left the role earlier this week.

Ramsay, a former Manchester United assistant to Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and Eric Ten Hag, has been a head coach in the MLS for a year and has earned huge plaudits for the results he has achieved.

His odds have dropped significantly overnight to become 2/1 favourite although it is always sensible to remember that early odds can be swayed quite easily in such small markets.

Ramsay’s team has been recognised for counter attacking football, averaging between 40 and 45 percent possession in games so it would be a big step change from what we’ve known previously but with fans tired of passing for the sake of it, would it make a refreshing change?

Indeed the Welshman was expected to achieve little with the squad at his disposal for the 2024 MLS campaign but he surpassed all expectation with many expecting Minnesota to be dark horses as the 2025 season edges closer.

“Instead, Minnesota United got off to an impressive start, rattling off eight wins in their first 15 games and only losing three times in that span. They then slumped to one of the worst streaks in club history, winning just twice in their next 13 games. MNUFC then finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the entire league, winning six of nine to qualify for the playoffs. In those playoffs, the Loons took down Real Salt Lake in the first round before getting thumped by the eventual MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy in the conference semifinals.”

Whilst the mid season run of form might be cause for concern it can’t be argued that overall Ramsay exceeded expectations by finishing 6th in the MLS Western division.

At just 33, he has already held academy roles with the Swans, Shrewsbury and Chelsea before atepping up to first team affairs at Old Trafford.

When asked about his first season in management, he told the Telegraph: “The league itself is phenomenally interesting. It’s the most multinational on the planet. You’ve got crazy talent pools that you can pull from South America.

“The players leaving are going to top clubs in Europe. It’s no longer the cliched retirement league. I’ve benefited from that. Some of the games can feel like the top of the Championship. Some players can comfortably play in the Premier League.

“It’s almost the ultimate test of pragmatism for a coach. Last year we used the most players in the MLS. You don’t pause during international breaks. We really suffered during the Copa América for availability. We ended up basically with a really good start, a really tricky middle and then a really good finish. I look back proudly.

“I really like the way our team looked toward the end of last year. We weren’t a team that dominated possession. We were really organised offensively, very compact, very difficult to play through. But we attacked aggressively. We counterattacked. For a team that rarely had more than 40 to 45% of the ball we were very good to watch, as much as I want to be a coach that dominates in all phases of the game.”

Ramsay, who can speak French and Spanish, also has former Swan and Trinidad and Tobago head coach Dennis Lawrence amongst his assistants. He has previously spoken in detail about his focus on adapting to a squad rather than a squad adapting to his own methods – the opposite to a certain Luke Williams and Russell Martin.

As somebody who worked under the likes of Martinez, Rodgers and Laudrup whilst in SA1 he’s also spoken if how he “latched on” to the Swansea way and credits those managers with helping his development along the way.

Whilst his age might put some off, there’s little doubt that Ramsay is an impressive coach with a wealth of experience working alongside top level football operators, who isn’t obsessed with possession football and understands that the game can be too idealistic – it is about adapting to the best of your abilities.

Linked with jobs previously at Barnsley and Blackpool, the fee shouldn’t be insurmountable should something happen. And with Buckingham, Martin and Cooper already ruled out, perhaps all roads lead to Ramsay?