Nathan Dyer injury not as serious as first feared

Winger avoided breaking any bones, but has to have further scans to determine the extent of any ligament damage

Phew. Thankfully for Nathan Dyer (and Swansea fans), an x-ray taken after he injured his ankle against Norwich hasn't shown up any obvious indication of a fracture or a break. I'd say given how much swelling I'd imagine is currently present around the injury that he's not out of the woods yet, but the Swans official site have posted an article which states he's ruptured a lateral ligament - whatever that means. I'm no rocket scientist, but while that doesn't sound like a quick-healing injury it's surely preferable to any actual break or fracture of such an important joint.

It's a real, real shame for Dyer the injury came when it did. He'd just started to find some form, and against Newcastle and Norwich in particular he was looking back to his probing pacey best. Hopefully he'll make a full recovery, and we'll see him strutting his stuff at the Liberty before the end of the season.

Who should replace Dyer in the side? Would you prefer to see Routledge & Hernandez start every game or do you think Lamah or even Pozuelo should play in one of the "inside forward" positions? Get involved in the comment section below!

Dyer signs new contract

Former Saints star Dyer pens new four-year deal with Swans

Good news! The club have announced that fans' favourite Nathan Dyer has put pen to paper on a new four year deal which will run until the summer of 2017. Fans had been given reason to believe this was a mere formality as in recent weeks both Huw and Nath himself have been in the press saying they were expecting this to be sorted sooner rather than later, and so it's turned out that the only member of the first-team squad whose contract was due to expire this coming summer now has a contract which will see him remain at the club until beyond his 29th birthday.

Dyer is a player who has clearly worked painstakingly hard on areas of his game which needed improvement. When he first arrived in SA1, his dribbling and trickery were plain for all to see but his end product was often found lacking; not so any more. Toward the end of last season he really started to show that his crossing (as well as his much improved finishing) has come on leaps and bounds - it's perhaps no surprise that his passing has improved dramatically since one of the game's all-time great passers took the reins at the Swans, and with Dyer still only 25 there's reason to be positive that he'll continue to improve with increased competition for places, as well as a higher calibre of training facilities, pushing the overall standard of the squad to previously unseen levels.

Speaking to the official site, Dyer is clearly delighted to have extended his stay in South Wales:

“I’ve been here four years now, and I wanted to stay at Swansea. I didn’t even think about going anywhere else, so it is nice to get it all sorted.  We’ve made a lot of progression here as a club, and I feel I have progressed too.  I am still trying to improve as a footballer and I feel I can do that here.  I think the club can continue to improve. We have made some quality signings and the squad strength is very strong now.  

"You look at the potential of the club when you are making key decisions like this, and I don’t see the club going downhill in anyway. I can only see it going up and up. When I came from Southampton it was hard moving on as I had been there since I was a youngster, but the way Swansea took me in – the club, the fans, the staff – has allowed me to improve a lot more and settle very easily. 

“This is my home now. I am very settled here.  It is a family club, and I think a lot of players thrive because of that. The memories I have had from the past year have been phenomenal. It has been a whirlwind year.” Nathan Dyer

Fingers crossed that Nathan and the Swans can continue their upward curve together.

Man Utd tickets go on sale, Chico close to return from injury & Dyer hopes to sign new contract soon

Tickets for league opener go on sale

Today you can get your mitts on tickets for the opening day clash against David Moyes' Manchester United. It's a typical staggered release; Non-season ticket holding Jack Army members with 26 loyalty points have first preference, then Non-ST holding Jack Army members with any points, then ST holding JA members with 26 points or more, before ST holders with any points and finally, next Monday (if there are any left) they'll go on general sale. Priced at £45 (£22.50 for concessions), you can order online here: http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/tickets-man-utd-away-936604.aspx?

Chico close to return from thigh injury

This is the news that Chico Flores is expected to return to training towards the end of this week, following a thigh injury which kept him out of the Swans' most recent friendly (the 2-0 win away at Exeter). Jordi Amat was also suffering the effects of injury, carrying a shoulder injury to the game against the Grecians, however he completed 45 minutes and should be fully fit for the Europa League tie next week.

Speaking to the Evening Post, Laudrup was confident he'd have his full compliment of central defenders available for the beginning of the season:

"Jordi came into the game with a shoulder injury, he had a knock the other day. He wanted to play like everyone else so he had 45 minutes, but he was not 100%. 

"I think he will be okay for Europe. We will have to see with Chico as well, I hope he will be back in training on Thursday. We will have all four centre-backs back again for the start of the Europa League. We have very good depth in our squad this season." Michael Laudrup

There have been rumours surfacing in the last day or two that we're interested in Espanyol centre-back Hector Moreno (certain Spanish clubs may start getting sick of the sight of us!), a Mexican international who enjoyed a solid season last term. It's even been suggested in certain media outlets that we've had a £5million bid rebuffed - if that's true there's a strong possibility that Arsenal have firmed up their interest in Ashley Williams, which isn't a surprise given their injury woes (and inactivity thus far in the transfer market). Thomas Vermaelen is rumoured to be out for three months, while Laurent Koscielny has picked up an injury which leaves Arsene Wenger with Per Mertesacker his only fit registered centre-back. A bid for Ash may now be imminent, if it hasn't arrived already.

There's the distinct possibility Arsenal haven't made a bid earlier because Huw is developing a reputation as a shrewd negotiator who'll always squeeze every penny out of the bidding club - Arsenal are famously stingy and it's likely any negotiations would be lengthy, however if Ash does fancy the move the chances are the two clubs will come to an agreement. There's no point retaining a player who wants to be elsewhere, and you can forgive any Swansea player who wants to play for a club who've spent the last 10 years playing at Champions League level. Obviously I hope this doesn't come to bear, but with Arsenal in desperate need of defensive reinforcement it's hard to imagine they won't make a serious offer.

Dyer hoping new contract will be tied up soon

As mentioned previously, the Swans are in negotiations with Nathan Dyer's representative(s?) regarding a new contract for the diminutive wide-man. Remarkably, he's the only member of the current "first-team" squad whose contract is set to expire at the end of season; that to me would indicate that all the hyperbole from Huw and the board regarding "only having players who want to be here" is very much true. You can't make a player sign a contract, and given how unlikely the Swans are to award bumper contracts the feel-good factor in SA1 is clearly evident:

"Swansea are a great club and I've always felt at home here, so I hope something can get sorted out soon. I don't think about my contract situation too much; I just try and play football. 

"I'm really happy at Swansea. Every year since I've arrived, we have improved and improved. It's been great to be part of the rise of Swansea." Nathan Dyer

Since arriving on loan from Southampton he's gone from strength to strength, and as I've said a couple of times he has improved his finishing (and final ball) dramatically in the last 18 months. Hopefully there's still more to come from Dyer as if he can add a touch more savvy to his game he could be a top, top player, and one who could realistically expect to gain international recognition at some point. If Matt Jarvis can get into the England squad, so can Dyer.

Fingers crossed, this will be wrapped up soon and we'll be seeing Nathan Dyer charging around for years to come. We love you Nath!  

Exeter 0 - 2 Swansea - Dyer & Donnelly continue their fine pre-season

Swansea's summer schedule continues at a canter

The Swans today overcame a resilient Exeter City side who were relegated at our expense way back when. The friendlies this summer have so far all been one-way traffic, but as long as the defence doesn't drop off (and given Gary Johnson's assessment of Ashley Williams in the aftermath of the Yeovil game there's no reason to think they are) the winning run we've gone on since departing for Holland can only be good for team spirit. Everyone likes winning (and scoring goals), and certain players will have picked up a slightly larger confidence boost than others; notably Rory Donnelly & Nathan Dyer.

Dyer's goal today (great pass by Canas too) further rams home what I was talking about in this morning's blog, about how he's worked on finishing tirelessly to the point where he's now placing shots into the far corner - today was a perfect example of that and hopefully he can carry that confidence into the new season. He only managed 3 league goals last year, so he'll be looking to better that tally this coming campaign.

In Donnelly's case I just hope the mooted arrival of another striker doesn't put paid to any game-time he was set to pick up, but with Laudrup seemingly cool on talk of another striker for now Rory's got every reason to be confident he could be featuring for the first team before too long. Again today he was in the right place at the right time to finish a neat team move, so he clearly understands the positional aspect of his role in the team and some of his finishing so far this pre-season has been top class.

When Laudrup was being interviewed on the training pitch, he was asked if the incoming striker would be "someone in the mould of Shechter?" - what that's supposed to mean is anyone's guess, but I did feel sorry for Rory at the tail end of last season in that I'd have much rather seen him gain game time at the expense of the Israeli forward.

Fingers crossed, he won't have to wait too long for his "craic" at the big time...

Swansea thrash Yeovil 5-0, Dyer to sign new contract & Swans waiting on Bony work permit

The Swans come out on top at Huish Park

I have to say I'm liking this new technologically-savvy approach from the Swans; all summer we've had lots of videos from the tour to Holland and they've been pretty good at uploading the highlights of the friendlies within a day or so of the game taking place. Quicker than we're used to from SwansPlayer...

Wow. Rory Donnelly! While his goal was easily the pick of the bunch, you can understand why numerous people have stated Pablo was the standout performer - his through ball for Michu's goal was top class, and he combined with his team-mates brilliantly throughout the match. I'm expecting big things from Pablo this season, and at present I've no reason to think I'll be disappointed come May.

Yeovil manager Gary Johnson was effusive in his praise for the Swans after the match, repeatedly stating how the South Walians are "world-class" which, considering we were operating at the same level as Yeovil only a few short years ago should help gauge how far we've come in such a short space of time.

Dyer close to agreeing new contract

A few weeks ago I was talking Swansea with a mate, and we realised Nathan Dyer's contract was due to expire at the end of the season (remarkably the only first team player of which that can be said). Given how other players had been tied down before it got to this stage, we started to worry whether there was something going on which we weren't privy to; however any such ideas have been firmly dispelled by Huw's announcement that a new contract is in the final stages of negotiation.

"Nathan is in the last year of his contract, but we are well on the way to sorting that situation out with Nathan's agent." Huw speaking to the Evening Post

Nathan Dyer. Great selection of hats.

While Dyer's end product isn't perhaps as good as Routledge or Hernandez's, the efforts he's made to improve this aspect of his game can't be ignored. When he first signed for the Swans the Jack Army quickly got used to closing their eyes whenever Nath was bearing down on goal, such were his finishing capabilities; indeed stories abounded of fans going to the open training sessions and coming away bemused at his inability to get shots on target. Not any more, though. It's obvious Dyer has put hour after hour in on the training ground, and seeing him place finishes past the keeper in the Premier League is truly a sight that makes my heart glow with pride; not only is it a goal for the Swans but it's a triumph of hard work and dedication.

Hopefully this will be tied up soon and we'll be seeing Nathan Dyer in a Swansea shirt for years to come yet. He seems to like it here, and if the Swans progress any further he must surely be in with a shout at representing England, given he's still (amazingly) only 25. Don't forget, he's also British which, at the moment, is an attribute we drastically need our players to possess given regulations surrounding "homegrown players". I for one am more than pleased Dyer is looking to sign back on; he's been an excellent servant so far and let's hope he can kick on again and go on to write his name firmly into the annals of Swansea history.

Bony still training with Vitesse as he awaits work-permit decision

This is the rather disappointing news that club-record signing Wilfried Bony is still in Holland pending a green light from the powers that be. You'd hope this is nothing more than a frustrating formality, but the sooner he can make his way to SA1 the better - especially with the weather like this! If we're to sell Swansea as a location, it seriously, seriously helps when the sun is shining; Laudrup remarked in a video from training that last July was "horrible, just horrible...rain, rain and more rain", and the prospect of spending a good few years in South Wales must surely gain a touch of gloss when you're shown the beaches of the Gower. A touch of the Toshack, as it were.

Laudrup is clearly looking forward to the Ivorian international arriving:

"The club are still working on Wilfried's work permit. He's still in Holland and we gave him permission to train with Vitesse because otherwise it would be too many days without doing anything. It's something we have to cope with as he is a player from outside the European Union. 

"He hasn't been to Swansea yet, but I hope he will be here next week. I heard from the club and they hope it will be during this week. It would be nice to have him back for training on Thursday. It's best to have the player here. Now we've signed him it's not so good if he is only in Holland. We want him here." Michael Laudrup

You're not alone, Michael... 

Dyer, Routledge & Hernandez - A statistical comparison

With Laudrup's adoption of the "three wingers" formation this season, I thought it would be interesting to see how they fared when you take a look at their respective statistics. For a start, it's impressive that they all made 30+ appearances - Pablo with 27(+ 3 off the bench), Routledge with 30(+6) and Dyer with 25(+12). It's interesting that while Dyer was clearly fit for the entire of the campaign, he started the least games and seems to have been used as more of an impact sub. In fairness, his style of play is ideally suited to that, as his pace and close control are a nightmare for tiring defensive legs.

Routledge has kicked on again this season, and he has played in a central role before under Rodgers with varying degrees of success. The difference under Laudrup has been the rotation between the three wingers, and it's worked to great effect on many an occasion. I'm still of the belief that until we have some more defensive muscle (Canas?) it's risky playing that system against a high-class 4-4-2 however we did alright at Man Utd, so what do I know?

In the goals department, both Pablo and Dyer have 3 each while Routledge has 5, and as far as assists go Dyer and Routledge both have 4 while Pablo has 6. It seems fans have been quick to lambast Pablo but while his playing style does have a frustratingly lethargic style to it he is effective, and with an improved understanding of his role in the team, and a full pre-season behind him, I think he could be a much livelier player next year.

I looked at stats for "aerial duels won per game" but none of the three win any, it seems (one every five games?), so let's move on to passing stats. Given that, despite differing playing styles they're all expected to provide a similar contribution to the team, it's a fair comparison I think. Routledge plays on average 32.6 passes per game, Dyer plays 32.9 while Pablo weighs in with a whopping 43.3. When you consider his pass success rate is the same as Routledge's at 80.4% (although it's nowhere near Dyer's 86.8%) it again seems some of the criticism against the Spaniard has been unfair, especially when he plays 1.8 "key passes per game" - double the frequency of Dyer (0.9) and slightly more than Routledge (1.6).

Wayne Routledge. 

They all play on average one successful cross every other game (not the best for a trio of wingers...) however a look at successful long balls and again it's Hernandez who comes out on top - he plays 2.5 per game to Dyer's 0.5 and Routledge's 1.5. Dyer attempts the least dribbles per game with 0.7, with Routledge at 0.9 and Pablo attempting a nice even one per game. A pattern is definitely developing here. Routledge attempts 0.8 shots per game, Dyer 1.4 and Hernandez 1.6, so in front of goal the Spaniard is again the busier of the trio.

Ball retention next. I'm using statistics from "Whoscored.com" so forgive me if some of the terminology is a bit "whack" - the two terms they use for losing the ball are "turnovers" (losing the ball through poor control etc) and "dispossessed"(tackled without trying to dribble past the opponent).

Dyer is "turned over" 1.5 times per game, and dispossessed with the same regularity, while Routledge is only turned over 1.3 times per game, however he's mugged slightly more often at 1.7 times per game. Guess what? Pablo comes out on top again. He's dispossessed 0.8 times per game and only turned over 1.3 times. I'm the first to admit I've been critical of Pablo in the past, but it seems he must be doing a lot of things I'm not seeing, as you can't fake statistics like this over the course of a season.

In defense it's no real surprise that Nathan Dyer makes the most tackles, with 1.3 per game (compared to Routledge's 1.1 and Pablo's 0.9), however interceptions is another story. Clearly a footballing brain makes a difference, as Pablo makes 1.5 interceptions per game - over double Dyer's 0.7 and treble Routledge's 0.4. He makes the most clearances too (albeit marginally) with 0.6 per game (Dyer has 0.4 and Routledge 0.5) while all three are dribbled past with roughly the same frequency (0.6 times per game for Pablo & Routledge, and 0.4 for Dyer).

Pablo scores the equaliser against Chelsea

It seems there's a recurring theme throughout here. All three wingers have performed admirably this season, but it's impossible to ignore the fact that Pablo has received a rougher ride from fans than he possibly should have. With time on his side I'm sure he'll go on to win over all but the most embittered of fans, as he's clearly a class act.

Worth mentioning is Roland Lamah, who has looked tidy when we've seen him but hasn't really had a chance to make an impact. He should have a goal to his name but the linesman incorrectly ruled his effort against West Brom out, however his loan period runs until next summer so we've time to assess him yet.

With four options at wing already, it's unlikely we'll sign anyone to play in that position surely? If someone outstanding comes up, then maybe, but with decent cover out wide central midfield seems more of a priority.

How long until the transfer window opens?...