Swansea City have appointed Ben Stevens as their new sporting director, the centrepiece of a summer overhaul of the club’s football operation.
Stevens joins from Crystal Palace and will start at Swansea on 10 July, based at the club’s Fairwood training ground.
He spent more than 11 years at Palace, rising through roles including head of performance and recruitment analysis to assistant sporting director.
During his time there, Palace enjoyed the most successful spell in their history, lifting the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the UEFA Conference League. Before Palace, he spent four years as head of performance analysis at Newcastle United.
Chief executive Tom Gorringe said the club had held out for the right candidate.
“As previously outlined, the club only planned on making an appointment of this nature if we felt a candidate who was the correct fit for Swansea City was available, and we firmly believe Ben possesses the qualities we were looking for,” he said.
Stevens said he believed in the project at the club and was excited to bring people together for the season ahead.
The club timed the announcement for after Palace’s season had finished, out of respect for Stevens’s former employer.
Beneath him, Swansea have confirmed two further appointments.
Pedro Pereira joins as head of goalkeeping from Red Bull Salzburg, subject to work permit and visa confirmation.
The Portuguese coach has worked with head coach Vitor Matos before, both at Salzburg and earlier at Porto, and brings more than 15 years of experience that also takes in spells at Al Sadd and Famalicao.
Jay Lefevre, who arrived as chief scout from Celtic in December 2025, has been promoted to head of recruitment and will report to Stevens.
The club said Lefevre has led its preparations for the summer window, work already visible in Swansea’s pursuit of Celtic defender Stephen Welsh.
The changes are not all arrivals. Assistant head coach Ryan Maye has left by mutual consent, with the club thanking him for his efforts and wishing him and his family well.
There has been movement among the playing squad too. Defender Ricardo Santos has joined Sheffield Wednesday for an undisclosed fee, subject to the relevant approval.
The 31-year-old links up with the League One side after a frustrating year at Swansea, where a knee injury in pre-season limited him to a single senior appearance.
The reshuffle comes as Matos prepares for his first full season in charge, having guided the Swans to an 11th-place Championship finish after taking over partway through last season.
