On loan Borussia Monchengladbach forward Hannes Wolf was definitely the surprise signing in the championship during the January transfer window. A player with a pedigree that seemed to forever keep him on his upward spiral until a potentially career ending injury. His broken leg suffered whilst playing for the Austrian under 21 side in 2019, described as horrific in reports brought his career to a temporary halt.

It could have been so much more.

The challenge on Wolf which led to the break seemed innocuous but his leg dragged back on impact resulting in a complete break. On closer inspection he was cynically fouled. News outlets reported his leg was left literally dangling after the challenge. Serbia's Vukasin Jovanovic was red carded after the referee consulted VAR. His long road through hours and hours of rehabilitation eventually led him to Swansea City on a loan deal which will last until the end of the season.

Initially Wolf found it hard to get used to the championship, but we have seen a player getting back to his best over the last three games. He has scored in the derby against Cardiff and on Saturday his link play nearly brought about another goal against Derby County. On the assist count he is on two over the last three games. Without doubt swans manager Russell Martin will want to retain his services, albeit on loan for next season, there isn’t a championship manager out there who wouldn’t. But what are the chances ?

The two issues are the player himself and of course the finance. Wolf earns way above Swansea City’s wage structure, possibly as much as three times as much as the club has available. The second issue is really more about what he thinks. Does he see a future for one more season at Swansea City ? For Wolf that answer is only known to him. He has experienced first hand the training methodology at Swansea, and it has to be said he has flourished as a result. His main concern will be the possibility of Premier League football after any loan is agreed. Does he see the swans as having the ability to get promoted back to the top flight, and is it worth the risk to remain a Swansea player next season ?

Wolf said post match after the home win against Derby County on Saturday “I am really enjoying it. We are playing such good football. The team and the coach are amazing. Everything fits together well. Most of the time I was like a striker at Borussia Monchengladbach because I was always so high with the ball and here, we have a lot of the ball and that means there are a lot of opportunities to be involved”

The new loan structure, Wolf’s desire, and indeed the swans desire to place much of their transfer budget on Hannes needs to come together during the early stages of June for an agreement from July 1st. There are definitely more bonuses to Wolf staying at Swansea than negatives. It’s certain the swans will want to explore the figures and possibilities, but many factors have to come together to make this happen. We made a call in January when Hannes was on his way to Wales, we knew ‘a player’ with some pedigree was on his way. However, whilst in ‘France’ doing final paperwork the day before his arrival the loan was still touch and go. There will be much paper shuffling to go through again to get anywhere near close to a deal.

Borussia Monchengladbach as well will need to be on board. For us that’s possibly the lesser issue.

It may well just be speculation today but there’s no doubt the question will be near the top of Russell Martin’s priorities for next season. We have seen what a fit Hannes Wolf can do, he would bring a huge lift to Swansea City next season. So why not ? Give it a go, you don’t get anywhere without trying, and you only get one of two answers by asking.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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