Ryan Giggs 'wants Swansea manager job'

Giggs was linked with the role in Friday morning's papers, with the club keen to bring the Welshman on board - albeit wary of his lack of experience in management.

The BBC's Simon Stone bolstered the story on Friday by asserting that, "Ryan Giggs would be interested in managing Swansea if the club parted company with boss Francesco Guidolin...

"Giggs has passed all of his coaching badges and has made no secret of his desire to go into management."

There are no quotes or other facts to back up the story, but Stone - a former chief football writer at PA Sport - is exceedingly well-connected within the game, giving this report serious credibility.

"He did harbour hopes of succeeding Louis van Gaal as Manchester United manager but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward chose Jose Mourinho instead when he sacked the Dutchman in May," adds the BBC's report.

There's a big jump between reporting that Giggs wants a job, and him getting it. And Friday's papers cautioned that "club owners Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien are reportedly somewhat concerned over Giggs' level of experience."

But there is surely little doubt that Giggs would want the job if it became open. It's a rare thing for a Premier League job to be a former player's first step into the manager's dug-out - and while Giggs has been there before, it would be his first permanent job, without a safety net.

The other alternative is to drop down a division or two. But while such an option would give him some breathing room to lean his craft, it could also see his career stall before it even takes off.

Giggs has said nothing of interest yet himself, trotting out the usual platutudes in a rather bland TalkSport interview on Friday - saying that "there has been no approach", adding that "in any case there is a manager in place", and then finally trotting out the usual "happy with life... enjoying media work... it's no secret that I'd like to get back into football as a coach."

All fair enough - but if Stone is reporting different, then someone in the Giggs camp is singing a rather different song.

As for Swansea? They have an able manager with a decent track record in Guidolin, and firing the Italian after less than a year would seem drastic.

What after all would Giggs bring that a man with two and a half decades of Serie A experience couldn't? The likely answer in footballing terms is "absolutely nothing".

Yet the fans would probably love it, the players would probably love it, and the sponsors would definitely love it - all of which means it would work for the owners. Because while Swansea have been a solid top tier club for years now, they've never been back-page worthy. Giggs would make them exactly that, on a weekly basis - and in an era when owning a football club is as much for prestige as it is success, that might tip the balance his way.