Swansea City head coach, Luke Williams couldn’t be any closer to turning the whole fanbase against him after a torrid month of results. The lack of goals are a highlight ‘for sure’ Ten goals conceded in three fixtures away from the Swansea.Com and none scored, not happy reading.
Even though Swansea City have what would be classed as a number of players that are considered goal scorers, potentially … that is bar Liam Cullen there seems to be some degree of ignorance as to what is happening under Luke’s nose. Two expensive strikers are already out on loan in Mykola at Hibernian and Jerry Yates at Derby County, and those brought in last summer haven’t stepped up at all. Now with the transfer window ending on Monday February 3rd at 11pm UK time there’s a bit more time than we thought to potentially do something. Actually two weeks.
Of course now many Swans followers would have expected some action already after the uplifting words coming out of the club just before January. From two players on the cusp of signing, and the Swans being in a good position for more. Nothing has happened. We all know Chairman, Andrew Coleman has managed last years finances extremely well, the next profit/loss declaration should be slightly healthier. But don’t expect miracles. The salaries for players signed last year, Ronald, Franco, Eom, Bianchini, Vipotnik etc have been pegged right back to in and around £6,000 a week, that we have had confirmed. However, to be honest some of them are not worth half of that. Liam Cullen had his money doubled to an extent, but he’s not really that better off than those players already mentioned.
The only bright point of late is Ben Cabango signing his new deal.
If you can get well sourced players for decent money and then put them on these types of very average salaries then well done. But have they really progressed under Luke Williams ? That’s the big question. His insistence on playing Azeem Abdulai out of position for a lot of Swans fixtures this season was so glaringly wrong. Now Azeem is expected to complete his move to a league one side, potentially Leyton Orient later today (officially). If he has spent the season out of position running nowhere and passing the ball backwards then what’s the point in that ? That’s just odd. A real talent as we reported yesterday who has been reduced to nothing over the past year. You can say the same for Ronald as well. Eom may have the excuse of his injury last year, but what we are seeing from him is pretty poor.
In fact all the signings bar Franco have really been a damp squib, and I include Myles Peart-Harris in that.His non appearance from the bench on the weekend prompted rumours he was going back to Brentford. Not so sure about that, there’s nothing about to confirm it.
We have banging the Kyrell Wilson drum for a few months. In fact numerous Swansea fans who watch the U21 side are keen to see a few more blooded. The Kristian Fletcher (DC Utd loan) situation thirteen months ago, which ended at the end of 2023 has been mentioned. However, we are pretty certain his contract and conditions laid down by previous majority owner Jason Levien wouldn’t permit it. This season he is on loan at Nottingham Forest, he has played five U21 games, with no goals or assists.
Kyrell (above) on the other hand just can’t stop scoring, despite a late winner for Millwall in a home defeat yesterday even the highlights show a quick and direct attacker. He has an eye to shoot and test the opponent keeper, and indeed get across defenders to poach a goal or two. His consistency this season has been astonishing now he has overcome injury and progressed so quickly. What the club don’t need to be thinking about is to let this twenty year old go out on loan, he at least needs to develop now into a role within the first team squad. He has been included before in first team squad training, but now he needs to develop properly. Rumours that Luke Williams ignores the U21 side is nonsense by the way, he has weekly meetings with the academy, watches games and training and has brought forwards two players of late into the first team squad.
It’s clear he doesn’t trust the players he has in the club academy, so we are stuck with the same old selections that have let the club down most weeks now. But surely from what we are seeing this guy possesses enough for a look in ?
At the end of last week all we heard was that a mission was planned to go to Holland and take in the games of two players. The whole thing seemed ill informed to us. But having witnessed so much nonsense over the years it shouldn’t surprise anyone. That then turned to one player not two and then right at the last the club Chairman decides to check on this players availability to play. He is told that the centre back of interest isn’t playing. The trip is immediately called off and everyone is back home in bed for midnight on Saturday. Another in a long line of odd and very strange circumstances that are either pitching themselves against this January window or are just down to absolute incompetence.
Crazy.
There is no news on any attempt to bring in players other than telephone calls to clubs. Tyler Goodrham at Oxford is a very impressive midfielder. However, the current news is we will see the Swans outbid by other Championship clubs in the frame. But it’s interest only, much the same as all of these latest links. Centre back, Hannes Delcroix, another ‘linked’ player is merely that, no moves at this time have been made. He does carry the odd injury and news is he will be departing this January. That could be a loan option, Delcroix is injury free to an extent but hasn’t played a game this season. The one that did make us laugh was Villa’s, Lamare Bogarde. Not because he isn’t achievable but any name at this players level will surely be looking elsewhere ? He has been at Bristol Rovers so, it’s possible a Championship move could be put together, but the opinion at the moment is it will be at another club. We’ve yet to see anything positive from the Swans so our exertions in following up these type of inquiries have been limited. Any other players, be they from Middlesbrough, Barnsley or abroad have all been inquiries, nothing more than interest in some form or another. The only player we can be sure of is Joe Low at Wycombe. With so many knock backs all round we still wonder whether Coleman will come back with a third offer late on this month.
It’s hard to keep up but we will do our best. Team news on tonight’s game v Sheffield United later. The game is LIVE on Talk Sport 2 for all you wireless enthusiasts - but we will have a full list of platforms all researched for later.