Swansea City are top of the Championship after nine matches, and there is something familiar about the view from south Wales: a side keeping the ball, pinning opponents back and allowing supporters to consider a return to the Premier League rather than another long season of repair. Luka Modric’s arrival as an investor and co-owner has added a little stardust, but Vítor Matos has supplied the shape and momentum on the pitch.
Why it landed this week
- Swansea City
- Luka Modric
- Vítor Matos
- West Ham United
- Wolverhampton Wanderers
The Swans have taken 20 points from their opening nine league fixtures, their strongest start since English football adopted three points for a win. They sit two clear of Middlesbrough, four ahead of West Ham and Stoke City, and six in front of Wolverhampton Wanderers, QPR, Birmingham City, Millwall, West Bromwich Albion and Bristol City.
It is a remarkable change from the position Matos inherited at the end of November 2025. The former Liverpool assistant, who worked under Jürgen Klopp, took charge with Swansea in 20th place and only four points above the drop. By the end of that campaign, they had climbed to 11th, finishing 17 points clear of safety.
Matos has since agreed a contract running until 2030. He has spoken of the strength of the club’s connection with its supporters and the Swansea community, while insisting that last season’s work was merely a base from which to improve. His approach has been evolution rather than a grand clear-out, and it has earned him the Championship Manager of the Month award for August.
A modern Swansea shape
There is a recognisable thread running through the current side, recalling the passing football associated with Roberto Martínez, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup. Swansea have completed 4,845 passes, more than any other Championship club, and their 59.4 per cent average possession is the division’s second highest.
They are not simply circulating the ball for aesthetic purposes. Swansea rank fourth for shots, with 48, and have scored 15 goals, the sixth-best return in the league. At the other end, they have conceded only seven times, fewer than anyone else, and recorded four clean sheets.
Their high defensive line has held up, too. Opponents have been caught offside 37 times; only Bolton, with 46, have trapped more sides beyond the last defender.
Modric’s stake and a rebuilt squad
Modric, now with Milan after his Real Madrid career, became an investor and co-owner in April 2025. He described Swansea as a club with a strong identity, outstanding backing and ambition to compete at the highest level, saying his experience as an elite player could help the project grow and build a bright future.
The club have backed the manager’s work in the market while retaining striker Zan Vipotnik. Swansea spent €26.6 million on Joseph Opoku, Moussa Yeo, Elijah Just, Stephen Eustáquio and Stephen Welsh, while bringing in Jeremy Monga, Jenson Seelt and Tiago Parente on loan.
There has also been room for the academy. During pre-season, Matos named a starting XI containing 10 players developed in Swansea’s youth system, a useful reminder that the club’s identity is not intended to be bought wholesale.
Memories of the old Premier League days
Swansea previously spent seven successive seasons in the Premier League between 2011 and 2018. Their high point came in 2012-13, when Laudrup led them to the League Cup with Michu, Ángel Rangel, Chico Flores and Pablo Hernández among the key figures.
That era gave rise to the “Swanselona” label, sometimes affectionate and sometimes rather demanding. This Swansea side have some distance to travel before it can claim that sort of standing, but the table says the club are moving in the right direction again.
