Tykes should loot League One rivals for manager if Championship interest materialises

The revolving door mechanisms of the managerial world can offer little space for long-term projects.

Longevity and continuity in the dugout tends to come at a premium these days and Swansea City have found that out themselves with the imminent departure of Russell Martin to Southampton, which has spelled uncertainty elsewhere as a result.

What is the latest situation regarding Russell Martin’s switch to Southampton?

Martin had accompanied himself with all the necessary components to construct a durable Swans scheme, with his talent identification, tactical nous and progressive, modern outlook on how the game should be played all serving to endear supporters and align with the values that the club have been built upon across the most successful period of their recent history.

At times, a promising on-pitch trajectory had been exhibited at the Swansea.com Stadium, though with the club remaining consolidated within the confines of mid-table, the lure of newly-relegated Southampton has proved irresistible and Martin is now poised to depart South Wales, with a showdown regarding compensation fees surfacing as the only restriction to the deal already being completed.

But that looks set to be concluded, one way or another, in the near future, and as such, the Championship side are scouring for a replacement to take over the reins.

Who are Swansea City looking at to replace Russell Martin?

Their managerial search has been all-encompassing, with a wide variety of targets identified.

Initially, the Swans had seemingly cast the net upon the continent as International managers Oscar Garcia and Carl Hoefkens both appeared on the radar, although they are now believed to be conducting the call of duty domestically.

Subsequent interest failed to materialize for the services of former Leicester City assistant Chris Davies, who previously coached at Swansea under Brendan Rodgers and has since opted to join Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Tottenham Hotspur coaching staff alongside reported candidate Ryan Mason, while promotion-winning Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher is set to remain in Devon amid admiration across the border, too.

Now, as per The Athletic, Barnsley’s Michael Duff is the latest name to emerge on the club’s shortlist.

Could Barnsley’s Michael Duff depart for Swansea City?

There are two ways of analyzing and deciphering the situation.

The first school of thought is that Swansea represents a monumental progression path, there is some form of stylistic symmetry between the way that Duff has organized his teams from a tactical standpoint at both Cheltenham Town and Barnsley and the on-pitch ethos that the Jack Army have portrayed, and it also reiterates their recruitment philosophy as they sniped Martin, a then-up-and-coming lower league coach at MK Dons, under a similar set of circumstances.

The opposing one is that Duff is just one third of the way through a three-year deal at Oakwell, so there is clearly the attachment of a long-term vision, and with that comes the small matter of agreeing a suitable compensation fee too, if their interest does extend further.

Duff has also already laid the brickwork in South Yorkshire and had Barnsley merely one game away from a Championship return, where they cruelly succumbed to defeat in the last minute of the play-off final at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.

For now, at least, the pang of heartache does not seem to have deterred Duff and after Huddersfield Town had been linked, he detailed a sentiment to the Yorkshire Post surrounding his future.

“I have not seen any of that, genuinely,” informed Duff.

“My focus has been fully on Barnsley. I will take stock from a personal point of view. I am not thinking of anything other than licking our wounds and going again.”

More recently, Reds Chief Executive Khaled El-Ahmad issued an update on the 45-year-old’s situation, explaining: “He is under contract and he is coaching Barnsley FC.

“For assurances, he is under contract, just like the players are and we are planning the pre-season. So far, there’s nothing else to report. There’s been none (interest).

But he did go on to warn that they are “prepared for all scenarios at all times”, meaning that anything can still happen and Duff’s future at Barnsley is far from affirmed in the grand scheme of it all.

That future-proofing should take them down to a divisional compatriot, and if the Northern Irishman does leave for the Championship then they could do a lot worse than fixating their eyes towards Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton.

Why would Bristol Rovers’ Joey Barton be a good potential appointment for Barnsley?

There are overarching parallels between the principles of the managerial philosophies carried out by Barton and Duff.

Last season, a young, ever-improving core helped the Tykes have success, with the likes of Luca Connell (22), Liam Kitching (23), Jordan Williams (23), Herbie Kane (24) and 22-year-old central defender Bobby Thomas, who was even signed by Barton on loan before trading Bristol for Barnsley in January, all playing leading roles in the side’s promotion push.

Overall, the average age of their squad sat at a sustainable 23.8, and while that at the Memorial Stadium was somewhat higher at 26.7, Barton has still administered a keen eye for younger talent alongside the balanced marriage of experience and know-how.

Luca Hoole (21), James Connolly (22), Lewis Gordon (22), and star attacker Antony Evans (24) all featured routinely as Rovers finished 17th amid tightened purse strings.

Owing to just that, the loan market was also optimized and Barton brought in Lewis Gibson (22) and Jarell Quansah (20) from Everton and Liverpool respectively, went to Aston Villa, Fulham, and Brentford to strike temporary deals for Lamare Bogarde (19), Sylvester Jasper (21) and Ellery Balcombe (23), lured Middlesbrough’s hotshot hitman Josh Coburn (20), and sought the aforementioned Thomas from former club Burnley.

This collecting of players with their ceilings high and best years firmly ahead mirrors the way that Barnsley operate within their identification and recruitment of talent, but the resemblances do not end there.

Both progressive-minded, forward-thinking young managers, Duff’s Barnsley maintained 49.3% average possession compared to the 53.8% from Barton’s side, registered an xG of 56.3 against 53.2, created only three more big chances (62-59), averaged 0.4 more goals than Rovers (1.7-1.3), although they totaled 298.6 accurate passes per match in comparison to the Tykes’ 260.8, according to FotMob.

Of course, the overwhelming difference between the two may, dependent on your perspective, be found in the league table, with the Gas finishing 13 points below Barnsley.

However, the context calls for consideration; Rovers did not have the reared-and-ready assembly of players that Barnsley boast at their disposal, many of whom are among the best in the division in their respective positions, and they lack the financial fortune to allure higher-profile individuals.

All things accounted for, their residence in mid-table should not reflect badly upon Barton given that he has had to be shrewd, resourceful and as minimalist as possible within the climate of the club, and he would likely fare much better with more supplies.

Interestingly, Duff himself finished only two places higher in 15th with Cheltenham before heading off to Barnsley- and just look at what he has gone on to do.

Even Martin finished 18th and 13th in his two seasons in Milton Keynes, and though it is much harder to be comparative to the Championship, his 15th and 10th-placed returns display that the fundamental principles can serve to define a manager too, not just league positions.

Time will only tell if Barton can elevate and prove worthy of any such advancement- Duff may well stay at Barnsley and, in turn, he may stay at Rovers, too- but, if that is not the case, then the Reds should surely be looking to maintain last term’s framework by acquiring his signature.