Rumor: Bob Bradley has met with Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins, EPL coaching gig in play

Former MetroStars and USMNT manager Bob Bradley has been on a single-minded mission to open the eyes of global soccer to the talent of American coaching since 2011. He gave Egypt's national team a couple of years (during a very difficult time for the country), stopped at Stabaek in Norway for almost two years more, and has been at Ligue 2's Le Havre since November 2015.

But Bradley's ambition has long been assumed to be to chase silverware in one of Europe's premier leagues. Not the Premier League, necessarily - but it will surely suffice. At Le Havre, he is coaching an ambitious club with American ownership that seeks a near-term return to top-flight status in France.

Swansea is an ambitious team with American ownership seeking to preserve its top-flight status. The Welsh club has sunk to 17th in England's Premier League, and that has reportedly put current coach Francesco Guidolin under pressure. Indeed, it has become something of an open secret in the sports sections of the British press that Swansea's front office is seeking out a fresh face to revive the team's fortunes on the pitch.

For a couple of days, Bradley has been rumored to be among the names in play to replace Guidolin. The Sun has seemed to be running slightly ahead of the press pack on this story, reporting on Monday, September 27, that there had been a "top secret meeting" between Bradley and Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins.

By Tuesday, the BBC had its own report: Bradley and Jenkins met at Bristol airport. The report stresses that no decision has been taken, and reminds us that Ryan Giggs is also being considered for the Swansea job. The Sun, never knowingly understated, describes a "split" in Swansea's leadership over the relative merits of Bradley and Giggs. Considering more than one person for one of the 20 biggest club coaching jobs in England (and Wales) might equally be described as merely prudent.

For what it is worth, Bradley is the more experienced candidate; Giggs is more Welsh.

In an interview with Once A Metro this summer, Landon Donovan - also connected to Swansea's American ownership group - noted that the general policy at the club is to respect Huw Jenkins' experience in overseeing the Swans' affairs. So it is perhaps not insignificant that Bradley has met with club chairman.

Donovan also said that he is occasionally consulted by the club for advice on personnel decisions, especially if they involve people he was worked with during his career. Donovan and Bradley know each other quite well from many years together in the USMNT set-up.

Fair to assume the former MetroStars coach has at least one vote in his favor within Swansea's ownership group.