Wellens targeting Championship with Swindon Town but admits Manchester United is main aim

RICHIE WELLENS has his sights firmly set on Premier League management with Manchester United in the future but insisted his current focus is on having Swindon Town challenge for Championship promotion within three years. Total Sport Swindon’s Ryan Walker sat down with the Swindon Town manager to discuss his future managerial career aims.

Richie Wellens has been in charge at Swindon Town for 456 days, during which time he has transformed the Wiltshire club from League Two strugglers to League Two leaders with Swindon currently sitting top of the table and eyeing automatic promotion back to League One.

However it is not just Swindon Town that Wellens has turned around, the former Manchester United and Leicester City player has also revived his managerial career with the Robins after a difficult opening stint to management that saw Oldham Athletic relegated to League Two during his tenure.

But even with his foreseeable future being at SN1, despite his current contract expiring at the end of the season, Wellens has admitted that his managerial dream is to be at the helm of boyhood club Manchester United.

“If you asked any young footballer what they want to do when they are older it’s that they want to play in an FA Cup final, they want to play in the Premier League, they want to play for Manchester United,” said Wellens.

“Those were my ambitions as a kid. You have to have those aspirations and I still do as a manager.

“It was a little bit of a tongue-in-cheek comment (referring to a recent interview) but if you had said to Chris Wilder (Sheffield United) 15 years ago would he like to manage Sheffield United in the Champions League he would’ve said yes,” he added.

“Would he have thought it was realistic? No. But they have every chance of doing that this year.

“He’s someone who has started lower down, done his League Two a couple of times, got his chance at Sheffield United in League One and took them to the Premier League.

“You have to have dreams, and you have to have aspirations to push yourself and I don’t think there is another manager out there that works harder than me.

“If I put the work in then I’ll try and reach for the moon and if I don’t get there then hopefully I’ll fall a little bit short and manage in the Premier League. That has to be my aspiration,” said Wellens.

Currently sitting top of the League Two table, Richie Wellens is adored by Swindon Town fans with a recent crowd of over 13,000 against Exeter City a testament to his efforts at the club.

Wellens however wants more than just League Two promotion with the Robins and has set his sights high outlining a three year plan for the club during which time he wants STFC to be pushing for promotion to the Championship.  

“My timeline here at Swindon Town is that within three years this club needs to be challenging for promotion to the Championship,” stated Wellens.

“If I’m here three years then I would like to be in and around the League One playoffs trying to get this club into the Championship.

“That’s my timescale with this club,” he added.

“Where I go from there you can never put a time on it because first and foremost I have to be successful at this club and then you obviously see what happens from that.

“In three years this club needs to be challenging for promotion to the Championship,” said Wellens.