Former Rangers defender Russell Martin has been confirmed as the new Swansea City manager, leaving MK Dons to take the reins in South Wales on a three-year deal.
Swansea announced his appointment on their official website as the ex-Rangers stopper detailed how he planned to restore the “modern Swansea way” of playing football that fans grew to love under the management of Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup.
Martin will take charge of Swansea for the first time when the face Blackburn and the ex-Scotland international was beaming with pride following his appointment.
“I am immensely proud and excited, to be honest,” said Martin,
“Everything I have heard about the club – be it from the owners, the people here who work inside the club, and people who have been here before that I know – underlines how special it is.
“I know the fanbase and what they expect in terms of the modern Swansea Way, that started under Roberto Martinez and continued under Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup and people like that.
“I am familiar with that, and I played against most of those teams throughout the years and we, as a coaching team, are very much aligned with that. It excites me.
“We really believe in it, and I hope that is an immediate connection and something we can enjoy.
“There is a lot of work to be done, but I feel immensely excited.
“I spoke to Graham, and he spoke so highly of the club, of the people and of the area.
“He spoke about his connection with the fans and the staff who worked here.
“My mind was already made up to come here, but to hear that was nice and reassuring and gave me a lot of confidence that this is the right place to move forward and progress.”
While his time at Rangers isn’t particularly fondly remembered, the former defender has impressed since moving into coaching.
Martin’s stint at MK Dons saw his side play some eye-catching football, setting a British record for a goal after a 56-pass move as he guided them to a 13th place finish in League One last term.
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