Swansea City have confirmed the appointment of Trevor Birch as club chairman, following the departure of Huw Jenkins last month.

Birch, who has previously worked as chief executive at Chelsea; Everton; Leeds; Sheffield United and Derby, as well as overseeing sales at clubs such as Portsmouth and Bolton, will take begin his role at The Liberty Stadium in April, reporting directly to the club's co-owners Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien.

In a joint statement given to the club's website, Kaplan and Levien said: "Trevor’s track record in the game speaks for itself. He has the experience we need and a business reputation that is second to none. Quite frankly, he is one of the finest football executives currently in the game and will bring a new dimension to Swansea City.

"Trevor will obviously be instrumental in strengthening the business side of the club but will also work very closely with Graham Potter and Kyle Macauley on the football front and especially in terms of recruitment."

Birch himself added:  “I understand a lot of the problems the club has faced, especially after relegation. This job is about re-balancing a football club and getting stability back both in the boardroom and on the pitch, as well as working with the Trust to ensure we're all moving in the same direction. It is a great opportunity to build something long-term at Swansea."

Following relegation from the Premier League, Swansea currently lie fifteenth in the Championship table, some ten points short of the playoff places with eight games of the season remaining in Graham Potter's first season as manager of the club.

The verdict

With all the speculation that continues to surround the potential sale of the club, Swansea desperately needed to hire someone with experience to steer the club through what could yet be a period of change.

In Birch, a man who has worked at several clubs previously in a variety of boardroom roles, they appear to have found someone who knows how to do just that.