New Swansea City boss Russell Martin has revealed he spoke to Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter before taking up the managerial post at the Liberty Stadium, in an interview with the official club website.
Martin was announced as the Swans' new manager yesterday evening following the departure of Steve Cooper last month, with the 35-year-old establishing MK Dons as a solid third-tier side in the past two seasons following their League Two promotion under Paul Tisdale in 2018/19.
He secured a 19th-place finish in his first season as a first-team manager before elevating the Buckinghamshire outfit to 13th last season - and was preferred to another shortlisted target in former Chelsea assistant manager Jody Morris - who is now being linked with the vacant MK Dons position.
After the departure of Steve Cooper, the Swansea board reportedly wished for his successor to place their faith in younger players and play an attractive brand of football, something they are backing Martin to deliver as he arrives in Wales.
One man who persuaded Martin to make the step up and joins the Swans was former manager Graham Potter, who spent the 2018/19 season in the hot seat at the Liberty Stadium before moving on to Brighton in May 2019.
Speaking about his conversation with the 46-year-old before he decided to move west, Martin said: "I spoke to Graham (Potter), 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."
He is now set to take charge of his first game as Swansea boss on Saturday, as they head to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers in their opening league game of the season.
Although the Lancashire side have failed to make a single signing in the summer window thus far, they still have the dangerous Adam Armstrong and Ben Brereton up front in what will be a tricky first test for the new boss.
The Verdict:
Although Russell Martin is an exciting and promising manager, patience will be required if he wants to succeed in Wales with the club already losing talisman Andre Ayew on the expiration of his contract this summer.
Club captain Matt Grimes looks set to follow him out the door which would be a huge blow to the Swans, so anyone expecting another finish in the play-off places may need to temper their expectations for the time being, as Martin assesses his squad and makes the reinforcements he needs before the end of August.
On a limited budget, this could be quite a challenge but the 35-year-old has been used to that at MK Dons so this could be the perfect job for him as he makes the step up.
But in terms of Swansea, they should view this appointment as a long-term project.
There may be bumpy times throughout the next season or two as they look to recover from the loss of some key players over the past few years, but patience from the board could pay dividends in the long run if he can repay the faith shown in him by the Welsh side at this important time in their history.