Benda completes his move to Fulham ‘ The full brief ‘
Thursday, 31st Aug 2023 07:54 by Liam Walters

Despite being injured and without of any chance of playing until at least December at the earliest Fulham have paid up to a million pounds for goalkeeper Steven Benda. This will come by way of a lump sum, instalments and add ons.

Benda joined the Swans from 1860 Munich in 2017 but always found himself second fiddle for the majority of his Swansea career - only playing in a total of thirty one games across all competitions in that time. His best run of games came last season where he was installed as first choice under Russell Martin. This before an innocuous injury away at Queens Park Rangers. ( below)

Still recovering from that injury Fulham have stepped in and offered him a considerable pay rise and the opportunity to fight for the number one spot at Craven Cottage once match fit. Swans head coach Michael Duff said of Benda and his departure, “Steven made it clear he wasn't going to sign a new contract,. We probably wouldn't have seen him until January so are we in a position to turn down the money for a goalkeeper that would have only been available for three or four months ? We think we've got a good goalkeeper in Carl Rushworth anyway “ That may well be the case but after loan spells at Peterborough United and Swindon Town, both successful, the introduction of Rushworth on loan from Brighton for the season was enough to make Steven’s mind up.

He will compete for the number one jersey with Bernd Leno and Marek Rodak with Benda commenting, “I’m really happy. It's a massive club with a lot of history and tradition, so I'm really happy to be here. Just look at this stadium, and the Club itself, playing for Marco Silva, it was a very easy decision”

Although the fee is undisclosed the transfer will amount to a million pounds relatively quickly and alongside Joel Latibeaudiere is ‘unexpected’ or should we say ‘unplanned’ income for the Swans. In return the club have signed free agent Nathan Broome who has been released from AFC Wimbledon.

The Swans now enter the penultimate day of the transfer window still looking for players in key areas, especially at the back. Okay, some of the attempted acquisitions haven’t worked out, but they have been loan players in the main. Swans fans will expect some developments today and of course by the deadline of 11pm tomorrow evening with Duff believing he needs at least three players in.

Clearly he hasn’t experienced a transfer window at Swansea before.