Swansea manager Michael Laudrup is ready to enter contract negotiations with the club and extend his stay at the South Wales club according to his agent. Although Laudrup has until now been keen to avoid discussing the subject, his agent Bayram Tutumlu has now openly aired his client’s wishes to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet. Tutumlu is quoted as saying: “In the coming days, we will meet with Swansea and discuss the possibility of an extension.”
Last week Huw Jenkins, the Swansea chairman said he was keen to keep Laudrup at the helm for a further 12 months beyond his current deal; which expires at the end of next season. It would appear Jenkins’ comments were confirmed in person to Tutumlu as Laudrup’s agent went on to say: “Yes, Swansea has a strong interest in extending Michael Laudrup’s contract.”
This is a rather dramatic change of direction for Laudrup, in recent years he has had very short spells as manager at Getafe, Spartak Moscow and Real Mallorca. Although Laudrup has been eager to avoid discussing his future, he had been saying he was happy living and working in South Wales and such comments from his agent appear to confirm that. Swansea fans will be pleased that Laudrup is ready to commit his future to the club; having heard reports from around the continent that their man was listed in many managerial shortlists among Europe’s top clubs.
Since replacing Brendan Rodgers in June 2012, Laudrup has led the Swans into the top half of the Premier League table and are now only 3 points shy of 40 points, which is widely accepted as the figure required to secure survival in the top tier. Perhaps Laudrup’s most important achievement to date is leading Swansea to the Carling Cup final, their first ever major Cup final. The fans have been pleased that Laudrup continued the club’s philosophy of playing attractive football but by bringing in a more direct outlet in Michu, Laudrup has been able to add another dimension to Swansea’s play.
