Dwight adopts a typically Dutch (I know he was born in Surinam) attitude over whether he'll extend his stay in South Wales
Following yesterday's news that Laudrup wouldn't be drawn on talk of a new contract for Tiendalli, the player himself was asked if he'd like to extend his stay at the Liberty, and responded with the verbal equivalent of a "shrug of the shoulders". It seems he's more than willing to open talks over a new contract, but at the same time given his solid level of performance this season he knows he won't be short of an offer in the summer:
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| Tiendalli up against Suarez earlier in the season |
Dwight Tiendalli: "I like it here and my family like it here. I like the boys - they joke a lot with me - and if the club want me to stay for a couple of years, then of course we have to discuss it, but I am not thinking about that now. I have played a couple of good games which I am happy about, but for me there is no rush. I am just focusing on the games and on training and we will see after that.
"So far I have not heard anything from the club, but we will see what happens. I am not a player who says my agent has to talk to the club or anything like that. For me there's no rush - I just wait. If the club come, they come, if they don't come, they don't come.
"It's not up to the player to go to the club, it's up to the club. The important thing for me is that I can look back at my games here and feel that I played well."
Tiendalli signed on a one year contract after Neil Taylor suffered an horrific ankle injury early in the season, so he can be forgiven if he hasn't completely committed to the idea of an extended stay; however if it were up to me I'd definitely be considering offering him a new deal. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush and all that, and the Swans have shown time and time again that if you have a player who understands how the team work, and fits into the fabric of the squad well, then it is prudent to retain that player.
There's no guarantee that any signing we make will pay off, so when it does, it's important to tie those players down, and Tiendalli has let no-one down this year with a series of hardworking displays - impressive in his willingness to get forward as much as his defensive exploits. I'd have no objection to at least a one-year extension, and I think he's done enough to deserve that. As I mentioned yesterday, Jazz Richards has done well on loan at Crystal Palace (see a report on his loan here) so it's possible Laudrup wants to look at him on his return before making a decision, but with Palace's involvement in the play-offs a distinct possibility it may be that it'll be a while yet before he returns to South Wales.
Swans take ex-Man Utd youth player Kenji Gorre on trial
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| Kenji Gorre - A name one Man Utd fan thought sounded like "A Japanese slasher movie" |
This is the news that 18 year old winger Kenji Gorre - son of ex-Huddersfield & Barnsley winger Dean Gorre - has been released by Manchester United and is currently on trial with Swansea City, after a spell with Celtic earlier this month.
Gorre started his footballing career with a brief spell for Manchester City, but he switched the blue of City for the red of United before he even got to comprehensive-school age. Gorre has been held in high regard throughout his career; given an Adidas sponsorship at 14, he was then the subject of interest from Frank Arnesen and Chelsea but ultimately he remained at Old Trafford - with his form for the youth team leading to a callup from the England u-15 squad. I can't find any info, but he's since played for the Dutch u-16 side, so I'm guessing he didn't actually feature for the England side...
Regarded as a tricky winger, his role the past two seasons has mainly been that of a super-sub, and Man Utd fans online have said that they feel his all-around game isn't up to the standard of other youth players in the squad - which is possibly harsh given his goal return which has remained high for both the u-16 and u-18 sides, despite a lack of starts. He has now, however, been told he can seek fresh pastures and it seems he's been training with the Swans for a couple of days at least, given his involvement in Monday night's u-21 win over Bristol City - where the Swans development side came from two goals down to win 3-2. The Swans went in at half time level thanks to goals from Kurtis March & Rory Donnelly, before the apparently in-form Josh Sheehan grabbed the only goal of the second half to secure the win.
It remains to be seen how Gorre fits into the squad, or if he makes the grade, but the news that the Swans are looking to add youth to the squad is always a good thing, especially if it's not going to cost them any money. I may get a chance to pop over to the Landore training base to have a look, and if I don't we'll have to rely on any tidbits fed to us by the club, but it'll be interesting to see whether young Kenji does enough to secure himself a contract for next season.