Swansea braced for offers, but at least Michu is happy where he is...

Over the last few days Goal.com again led the way with the "news" that Arsenal representatives have met with those of Ashley Williams, for a second round of talks regarding the possibility of the burly centre-back switching South Wales for North London. Aside from the fact that meeting with representatives of another club would be a breach of Ashley's contract, without any proof I'm choosing to file this in the folder marked "yet more rubbish from Goal.com".

Ashley Williams in action against Arsenal

That's not to say the Swans aren't going to receive an offer. When stories refuse to go away there's generally
something in them, and despite the prospect of European football in SA1 next year it is nigh on impossible for a player like Ashley Williams to turn down a move to such a big club. When I say "player like Ashley Williams", I don't simply mean a player at a "smaller" club, I mean a player who's done it the hard way and played his way up from non-league football. Unlike so many young players these days who play for a big club before being discarded, Ash has never had the chance to play for one of football's giants, and few would begrudge him a move if he so desired.

Arsenal are notoriously stingy, but they'll have met their match in Huw. Losing an essential first-team player like Ash will cost Arsenal, and if they want to take him Huw will definitely play hardball. It seems Arsenal value him at £8mil but the Swans will definitely look to get significantly more than that. I'd say £12mil is a fair fee given current inflated market values. If Arsenal are buying a centre-back, they're buying a centre-back to compete in the Champions League, so I don't see why they shouldn't be paying more than £10mil...

Alan Curtis thinks a number of Swansea players may be the subject of bids from Premier League rivals, as the team's increased level of performance enhances the reputations of the players within it:

"I guess the vultures are going to be lurking above us. The fact that the players have done so well means they are attracting the interest of some of the bigger clubs. It's just a fact of life now. 

"Irrespective of where we're going to finish, we're still perceived as a small club in terms of the Premiership. We've lost managers, we've lost players - we obviously want them to stay but if it happens then we'll just have to deal with it as we normally do. 

"There are obviously bigger clubs than us. If it was up to the players they would stay because they enjoy their football, they love the way we play the game, but, obviously, if you get some of the real big clubs, then obviously it's going to be difficult for the player to turn it down and for the club to refuse them the right to play for those clubs."  Alan Curtis

One player who it seems we don't have to worry about is top-scorer Michu. The Spaniard clearly enjoys playing for the Swans, and came out recently to say that he's very happy in South Wales:

"I've seen articles on the internet, but I'm very happy here. I only think about playing next Sunday against Fulham. I'm happy on the pitch and in this team.   

"Swansea fans do not need to worry. I'm very interested [in having the opportunity] to play in Europe. I am very happy at the club and I want to say thank you to everyone at the club because we have all enjoyed this season." Miguel Michu

Another player who's been heavily linked with a move is goalkeeper Michel Vorm. After injury earlier in the season he saw Gerhard Tremmel come in and perform admirably, but after a few indifferent performances when he made his return he's now back to his best, and has put in some good displays lately. That being said, if the Swans were to receive an offer in the region of £8-10million I'm sure they'd consider it. One factor could be a rumoured sell-on clause in Vorm's contract, which would see a chunk of any transfer fee go to his previous club Utrecht. If he were to move on Tremmel is a capable replacement, and the funds received should allow us to find a seriously tidy replacement.

All  this speculation is superfluous however, as before any transfer wheelings and dealings there's the small matter of Fulham at home. I thankfully managed to get a ticket from the batch released by the Swans yesterday, so I'll be in the North Stand by the away fans for the first time. I'm hoping Ki gets a start, but I also really hope Rory Donnelly gets a cheeky 20 minutes at the end. He's scored a lot of goals for the U21's in the last few months and a little run-out in front of the home fans would do wonders for his confidence going into the close season.

Wait and see I guess, and at least until Saturday we don't have to worry about any of our players leaving...