The former Swans head coach, who left in 2023 for Southampton before moving on to Rangers, has emerged as a potential candidate once again after the club’s pursuit of Hammarby manager Kim Hellberg stalled.
Middlesbrough are now thought to be closing in on the Swede, forcing Swansea to widen their search.
Among the other names in contention is Marítimo boss Vítor Matos, the 37-year-old Portuguese coach who previously worked in Porto’s academy and later joined Liverpool’s backroom staff before a brief stint at Red Bull Salzburg.
Martin, 39, retains admirers inside the Swansea dressing room and from certain areas of the fanbase, but online reaction shows just how fractured opinion has become.
Supporters in favour of seeing him come back have been vocal.
One user, @ellisroberts016, wrote: “Me liking every tweet mentioning Russell Martin's return to Swansea really hope we can get it done.”
Another fan insisted: “It won’t be the most popular suggestion but I’d truly love to see Russell Martin given the chance to finish the project that he started… The perfect cultural fit for this football club.”
Meanwhile, Swansea Indy highlighted the enthusiasm among younger fans, saying: “The younger element … seem to be captivated in hope that he will return to the Swans.”
Yet opposition to Martin’s comeback is equally strong.
One critic, posting as @scmw12, questioned the logic entirely: “What are the sensible, logical reasons some fans have to entertain a Russ return? He divided the fan base massively – last thing we need now.”
Another detractor on JackArmy.net was far blunter, declaring: “If Martin comes back … It’s really like a cult.”
A third poster went even further, claiming: “It would be the worst thing to happen to this city since devolution.”
The debate has intensified as Swansea continue their search for a new boss following Alan Sheehan’s dismissal.
The club had been confident Hellberg would accept the job before Middlesbrough accelerated their approach, leaving Swansea to reconsider alternatives.
Despite being in his first senior managerial role, Matos has guided Marítimo into Portugal’s top-three in the second tier and is understood to have held conversations with Swansea officials.
Until an appointment is made, assistant head coach Darren O’Dea is preparing the team alongside Kristian O’Leary, Richard Stearman and goalkeeping chief Martyn Margetson.
With the coaching landscape shifting — including Brendan Rodgers being linked from afar, though he is believed to be eyeing a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia — Martin’s availability has inevitably placed him back into the spotlight.
But if Swansea’s online community is any indication, his return could re-ignite one of the most polarising debates the club has seen in years.
Martin’s previous spell at the Swansea.com Stadium ended not with a handshake, but with tension that rippled through the club’s hierarchy.
His switch to Southampton in the summer of 2023, just as he appeared to be shaping a long-term project in SA1, caused deep frustration behind the scenes.
Talks over a new contract had been dragging for months, with neither side fully aligned on budget, recruitment strategy, or the direction of the club.
By the time Southampton made their approach, the relationship between Martin and Swansea’s ownership structure had already grown fragile.
Swansea initially believed they were owed a higher compensation fee based on their reading of Martin’s contract — a stance that infuriated the manager’s camp.
Southampton, for their part, were adamant they would not be pressured into paying more than they felt was stipulated.
For several weeks, the dispute threatened to escalate into formal legal action, with lawyers acting for all parties exchanging correspondence to establish who owed what, and whether Martin’s deal contained conditions that Swansea claimed existed.
The public disagreement dragged on through the early weeks of pre-season, creating an awkward atmosphere that left supporters unsure who to trust.
Swansea insisted they were merely protecting the club’s interests. Martin’s representatives countered that the club was misrepresenting the situation to save face.
The episode worsened when reports emerged that key staff members linked to Martin were also caught in the contractual crossfire, leaving them unable to start work at Southampton while Swansea dug their heels in.
It strained relationships in the dressing room too, as some players felt left in limbo amid the uncertainty.
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Martin himself stayed mostly quiet publicly, though insiders later revealed he had grown exasperated with Swansea’s direction of travel.
He had pushed for more backing, but felt promises were drifting rather than being honoured.
Once the move to St Mary’s finally went through, the separation felt unlikely to ever be reversed.
For some fans, his return would be a chance to complete the vision he never fully realised.
For others, it would reopen an old wound they would rather leave in the past.
