Peterborough United are delighted to announce the appointment of Luke Williams as the Football Club’s new manager.
Williams, who was most recently with Swansea City in the Championship, will be assisted by Ryan Harley, with the pair working together in South Wales and also at Notts County.
The pair have signed contracts until June 2028 and will meet the players for the first time on Thursday. Posh face Cardiff City in the first round of the Emirates FA Cup at the Weston Homes Stadium on Saturday (3pm).
Chairman Darragh MacAnthony said: “This is the start of a new era for the football club, and I am delighted Luke has agreed to be our new manager. Both he and Ryan have shown over the last few years at both Notts County and Swansea the type of coaches they are and the style of football they like to play.
“When Darren Ferguson came back and was originally only staying until the end of that season, Luke was number one on my list of Managers and we spent a lot of time watching his then Notts County team and he himself over a period of games.
“I was very aware of Luke and his reputation as a player's coach going all the way back to when he was coaching at Swindon then MK Dons and Swansea under Russell Martin before becoming an incredibly successful manager. His work ethic, desire to improve players and his vision of how football should be played is something that has left an impression on me for years now.
“This appointment isn't about what league we are in or recent poor results but about creating an identity for our club for years to come. Our Club has an incredible Academy, talented young players in our first team squad and the goal is always the same; play exciting attacking football, develop our young talent, recruit and then develop the gems others miss, compete with the ‘big boys’, win promotions/trophies and become financially sustainable and a well-run football club that our fans feel constant pride in supporting, whilst enjoying what they pay to watch every Matchday. Let the ‘New Era’ begin and welcome to the Posh Luke and Ryan!”
Williams said: “I am very excited and really looking forward to working with the players. When I spoke to the chairman and to Barry as well, it really feels a good fit for us all. I had really good conversations with Darragh, it made me feel enthused and an opportunity that I couldn’t afford to miss.
“From those very first conversations we had, it felt we were very much on the same page. My teams have often had a lot of the ball and scored a lot of goals, but there is probably some perception out there that the team won’t be aggressive defensively, but that is not a fair one for the teams that I have had. Hopefully we can combine all of those things and let's see how we go,” Williams said.
Luke Williams and Ryan Harley