Who is Swansea’s manager elect John Eustace?

After Steve Cooper’s mutual termination was agreed this week, Swansea are looking for a new manager to replace him.

Twitter banded names such as Frank Lampard, Eddie Howe and Chris Wilder, but it is a far more left-field individual that is set to take over the role.

The emerging candidate, according to WalesOnline’s Ian Mitchelmore, is current Queens Park Rangers assistant manager John Eustace.

With his English Football League management experience limited to just seven matches, it may come as a surprise, but that is seven more than the previous two managers combined.

Swansea have been on an upward trajectory since their relegation to the second tier, finishing 10th, sixth and fourth with two unsuccessful play-off campaigns.

So is Eustace the man to take Swansea one step further? Or should expectations be tempered with the club in transition?

A tenacious defensive midfielder in his playing days, Eustace featured for a host of clubs in the British Isles. Beginning at Coventry City at Premier League level, he would soon fall down the leagues with injury problems despite the bright start to his career.

He established himself once more at Stoke City, in which fan Elliot Yates recalls his influence during his half-decade with the Potters:

“Eustace joined the club at a time when they were a set mid table side in the Championship and left when the club was starting to progress.

“It was under Tony Pulis where he excelled. When he came back in 2006 he was a key player in getting the club to be a contender for promotion along with Lee Hendrie but was sold the season before promotion being replaced by Glenn Whelan who became a catalyst for Stoke for the 9 years he was at the club.

“It was a disappointing when he left but it was the right decision because Glenn Whelan contributed to some of the best success in the club’s history.”

Yates believes that Eustace always had the credentials to become a manager, even in his playing days, which wouldn’t come as a surprise as he captained Coventry then Watford later in his career.

“Eustace must have been a leader if Tony Pulis was a manager and kept him.

“Pulis doesn’t like bad lads around the place. He likes leaders who contribute to the dressing room, so the fact he kept Eustace for five years speaks volumes about those qualities which he could rub off the players.”

“I think it’s a gamble by Swansea to get him because the only senior job he’s had is Kidderminster Harriers – but from what I can gather he was very successful there. He’s also worked with managers such as Tony Pulis and Steve McClaren who he can take advice from and put it into his own style.”

Watford then signed Eustace for £250,000 in 2008 after a brief interluding loan spell at Hereford United.

It was at Vicarage Road that the defensive midfielder probably enjoyed the most fruitful spell of his career. Despite his poor start, he was already in his prime years and showed it later on.

He then first joined Derby County on a loan deal in 2009, before returning to Watford to sign a two-year contract under Malky Mackay.

2009/10 was his best season in a Hornets shirt, playing 40 times, captaining the side in place of Jay DeMerit, and scored four goals, going onto being named Players’ Player of the Year.

Three more years at Watford followed before a return to Derby County. Fan Jacob Hackett discussed his impact at Pride Park and how he is remembered by Rams supporters.

“Eustace is remembered very fondly by the Derby faithful, such a criminally underrated player who never put in a bad shift. ”

“He was such a consistent performer and his dirty work allowed our creative players to move forward and express themselves knowing that the defence was being protected.

“He was certainly a leader, he played a crucial part in Derby’s play-off final season of 2013/14, in reality he was one of very few old heads in the squad so naturally had a respected voice on the pitch. I’d argue he was almost just a captain without the armband.

“His resilience to stick to his defensive duties was superb too and he had that knack of being in the right place at the right time to win possession back for his side.”

He retired at Pride Park and was given the job at Kidderminster Harriers. Known as the ‘non-league Barcelona’, Eustace’s style was very easy on the eye which may have been an attraction to future suitors.

He departed after 103 matches to become assistant to Steve McClaren at QPR and remains in the post today, also gaining plaudits for his seven matches in charge as caretaker manager in 2019. One of his two wins came against Swansea in a 4-0 thrashing.

Many Swans fans will be wondering where Eustace has come from as the favourite for the job as screams of Lampard, Howe filled the clubs’ Twitter feed.

In the former midfielder, they are recruiting a consummate leader and professional who will instil a stunning style of football in South Wales.

The recruitment will be crucial, but fans shouldn’t be too underwhelmed as he has the potential to become the next inspiring young English manager.

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