It’s already been confirmed by Michael Duff that he see’s numerous deficiencies in his Swansea City starting eleven, and that was elevated even more after the defeat to Oxford United.

We now know more or less that the issue is the parent clubs of the players concerned. In the Goalkeeping position most certainly there needs to be change, this was horrendously highlighted by Andrew Fisher’s howler at the Kassam Stadium on Friday evening. On that we expect Carl Rushworth to be in at the club in the next ten days at the most. Discussions with Brighton and Paul Watson (Swans Sporting Director) have gone well with Paul Mullen the operating officer at the Seagulls ready now to approve Rushworth’s release. Chief Executive Paul Barber has also been in on the discussions and before you know it we are in a ‘how many Josh’s can we get to situation’ !

With our group of Paul’s in agreement it seems that Carl Rushworth will come in as Swansea number one which may well serve as an early warning to Fisher. Surely now when Steven Benda is fit he may well be seeking a move away from the Swansea.Com Stadium ? Carl Rushworth signed for Brighton & Hove Albion from Halifax Town in January 2019. The twenty two year old has made slow but positive progress after loan spells at Worthing and then Lincoln City last season. With Jason Steele and now Bart Verbruggen ahead of him, coupled with Tom McGill as well there is only one route for first team games this season.

And that’s on loan.

The other loan player that the Swans are still working hard to secure is Harrison Ashby who is currently on a pre season tour of the USA with Newcastle United. We have been told he isn’t one hundred percent committed to a loan opportunity. And that is at any club. And the Swansea interest is more speculation than anything else. Wide of the mark is a term used of late. However, there’s also some traction in the fact that the Swans have spoken to Newcastle United. Unfortunately any deal for Harrison - who signed for the Geordies in January from West Ham is going to be difficult to secure in the immediate future. He will be with his clubs touring party in the USA in the three match ‘series’ of friendlies for at least another week. He scored against Rangers last week and has stated he wants to fight for his place at Newcastle. The other issue is he prefers the right side of the pitch, and when not at right back he plays as a right winger as he did against Rangers when he scored the winner last week.

Speaking after the Rangers win Ashby was adamant he wants to fight for his place on Tyneside. "Coming into pre-season, as long as I keep doing what I'm doing, I think I'll get my opportunities and I'll definitely be able to take them. Coming in to somewhere like Newcastle where the intensity is so high, every session is one hundred percent and every game is one hundred and ten percent. I think everyone goes through that stage of getting into the groove which I think I've put myself in now. I'm feeling good, I'm feeling fit, and I'm ready for pre-season whatever it brings for me. It's another opportunity for me to grab. We've got three games in the space of a week, so I think there's definitely going to be opportunities to be taken. I'm going to graft, get my nut down and do what I know I can do and try and get in the team."

That doesn’t sound to us like a player ready to leave his parent club quietly. Ashby also currently faces competition from Emil Krafth and Javier Manquillo to serve as KieronTrippier's understudy, although all three have been linked with potential exits this summer.

You can’t blame Ashby, he was very well thought of as a youngster at West Ham and is enjoying the toon army experience so much he see’s his future on Tyneside. It’s strange one because both Rushworth and Ashby could come face to face with each other next Saturday in the states when Brighton take on Newcastle. Yes, there are ways of them cutting short their experiences in the USA, especially in Rushworth’s case but we don’t see much occurring bar a few long haul flights this week. If Tino Livramento signs for Newcastle from Southampton that may well tell Ashby a season out on loan in the championship is best. But that’s speculation as well.

Time will tell. But if there are loans that are ‘almost done’ according to Duff then it really does sound like we won’t see these players for a good week, if not more. And that means their first game available for the Swans will be the first home match of the new season at home to Birmingham City. Isn’t time flying ?

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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