Tiendalli in Dutch squad, Leon to have hernia op & West Ham enter Lukaku race

 

Tiendalli offered new contract & called up to Holland squad!

Swansea full-back Dwight Tiendalli

Quite a bit of news today; let's start with Dwight Tiendalli. The Surinam-born former Ajax youth team player will surely have a grin on his face at the moment, as he has recently been the recipient of two bits of good news. Firstly, he was offered a new deal by the Swans, which was no more than his performances this term have deserved. Every fan I've spoken to has been a fan of the marauding full-back, and his European experience could be very handy next year. Within the space of a few hours it was also confirmed that Dwight would, for the first time, join up with the Holland squad as they travel to play friendlies against Indonesia and China. While the opponents are far from auspicious, playing for your country is a privilege few will enjoy during their careers, and he will no doubt be excited at getting an opportunity to showcase his abilities on the international stage for the first time. He'll be in good company too, as teammates Michel Vorm & Jonathan De Guzman have also been called up, so at least there'll be some friendly faces in the squad. Incidentally, Ajax have three players in the Dutch squad too - can you imagine being told ten years ago that the Swans would have the same amount of players representing Holland as Ajax? Incredible stuff!

Tiendalli himself seemed unsure as to goings on as of Sunday, however it seems things have now progressed and we may see him sign on for at least one more year in the very near future.

Leon to undergo double hernia operation

Fresh from coming out with a plea for Ashley Williams to stay in SA1, it's been announced that Leon will have surgery, after playing through the pain barrier in order to see out the season.

"My groin has felt quiet tight, but I wanted to play through the pain and finish the season. I missed parts of training in that time but it was necessary to ensure I was available for the games, although I did struggle a little bit in the last four to six weeks. I've had one hernia since December, and a scan around four weeks or so ago showed I had another one."

"I've had a hernia operation before, around 2005, so I know the procedure. It means I will come in during the summer to do some rehab which will make sure I'm ready for pre-season training.

"Next season will be huge for us as we will be involved in four competitions, so I want to make sure I'm fit and ready when we report back for pre-season."            Leon Britton

It seems that Leon has been keen to further his "Jack Bar Steward" reputation by grinning and bearing pain in the name of the cause, but the indication is he should be fine for next season. Despite picking up the odd recurring injury over the years Leon should be a firm fixture in the Swansea City midfield for years to come; news which will no doubt please Swansea fans to a man.

West Ham reportedly enter race for Romelu Lukaku's signature

I mentioned this as more of a joke than anything else. It's been reported for months that the Swans are interested in signing the Belgian teenager, however rumours resurfaced recently indicating there may yet be something in this, despite Lukaku seemingly being "out of Swansea's league" as it were. European football will no doubt help if we are in for him, however I will be absolutely amazed if he decided West Ham was the best available offer for the 2013/2014 season. They have just agreed a fee for Andy Carroll, and play nasty, nasty football; while a partnership featuring the two would be one of the more physically imposing in world football it's unlikely anyone will ever have to defend against it. Lukaku to West Ham? No sodding chance...

Tiendalli set to discuss new contract

Energetic fullback wants to extend stay in South Wales

News broke today that Dwight Tiendalli has had something of an about turn in terms of a new contract. Originally, it looked unlikely he'd get a new deal given that the Swans need to make up a quota of "home grown" players for next year's Europa League, however it did always seem a shame given that he's performed well whenever he's been called upon.

Tiendalli in action against Arsenal in the FA Cup

Earlier in the season, when asked about a new contract he was somewhat vague, stating that it was up to the club and he didn't know what the future held. I did wonder at the time whether such words were wise, as the Swans are keen for players to make a statement of intent when it comes to renewing contracts. Huw Jenkins has stated time and time again that we want players who want to play for the Swans, and Tiendalli's words left me wondering whether he'd have been better off saying something along the lines of "Of course I want to stay, but I'm concentrating on my football for now".

As it happens, he's now come out with something akin to that:

"Of course I want to stay. I like Swansea and we're going to talk this week. Me and the club are going to talk about the future and we will see where it ends. I've played 21 games this season. It's not just about the last couple of weeks — it's about all the games. 

"I have a feeling I did my job well and we will see what happens. I've enjoyed it very much. I like the club, I like the squad and we play good football." 

"Playing in Europe is a big attraction. I've played a lot of games in the Europa League. For Swansea this is the next step. It will be a good experience for the players.I played for Feyenoord and FC Twente in the Europa League. My best memory was getting into the quarter-finals against Villarreal with Twente [in 2011]"

When asked about whether the Swans could make an impact in Europe, Tiendalli reacted positively:

"Of course, we have good players. As long as we play at 100 per cent and keep faith in ourselves, we can do a lot." Dwight Tiendalli

Tiendalli has consistently proven his worth this season, and has shown he can operate effectively on either side of the Swans defence, and a player who can effectively cover two defensive positions is a serious plus going into what could turn out to be a gruelling European campaign. Incidentally, I just checked the odds for the Swans to win the Europa League and they're only 50-1. The bookies don't think it's that unfeasible, then...

As stated above, it looked like Tiendalli may miss out on a new contract despite impressing, given the Swans need to include "home grown players" in their squad for next year. With Angel Rangel a solid fixture, and with Neil Taylor and Ben Davies meeting the "home grown" criteria, it seemed likely the Swans would recall Jazz Richards to the first team squad for next year which would give the Swans two defenders for both full back position. I said at the time that even with Jazz it would be prudent to retain Tiendalli, and it seems that he may now be awarded a new deal.

With any player we sign, there's no guarantee they'll fit into the squad or the way the team plays football, so when we do find players who fit the mould it's imperative we retain them; especially when it won't cost much to do so. We signed Tiendalli on a free and I very much doubt he'll ask for a massive contract, and given that he already has quite a lot of European experience another older head in the squad wouldn't go amiss.

I for one would be delighted if Dwight was offered (and accepts) a new deal. I think he's been excellent this year, and he was no doubt thrilled to score the winner at Wigan on Tuesday night - his first goal for the club and one which guaranteed the Swans a ninth-placed finish. Every time his name has been brought up in conversation between Swansea fans I've heard nothing but positive things, and it seems I'm not alone in hoping he gets a new deal. Over to the board now, but it seems this contract renewal would be a popular one.

Taylor continues recovery with appearance for U21 side, & Tiendalli doesn't expect to be offered a new contract

Neil Taylor takes latest step in bid to return from horrific ankle injury

Having played 45 minutes in the last U21 match (away at QPR), Taylor was selected last night to play in their latest fixture, at home to Colchester United. The rapidity of Taylor's recovery is quite incredible really, as when footage of his ankle break/dislocation came to light it seemed highly unlikely he would play again this season, but he's surprised everyone by getting himself back into contention in record time. 

Neil Taylor. Loves it.

I previously blogged on his recovery (here), and it seems he's utilised all the tools available to him as he looks to regain his place in the Swansea first eleven. For now though, he is still returning to full fitness so it'll have been a relief for him when he came through 80 minutes last night unscathed. 

The U21 side found themselves one-nil down to their Colchester counterparts after just five minutes, but Neil Taylor impressed throughout by all accounts, forcing a save from the U's keeper and drawing a corner inside the first ten minutes. The Swans dominated possession but found themselves 2-0 down at the break thanks to a second goal from Conor Hubble. Great name.

The second half started a lot better for the Swans, with trialist Kenji Gorre collecting a Lee Lucas pass before firing home within five minutes of the restart. Gorre then proceeded to go on a mazy dribble before setting up Alex Bray for the equaliser, and then Rory Donnelly grabbed two goals for himself, seeing the Swans complete a quite remarkable turnaround. It has to be said, I like the way the development side is going - they're playing very, very young kids and promoting the brand of football well, and it'll stand us in good stead long term. 

Great news about Taylor though - after completing 80 minutes for the U21 side surely it's only now a matter of a game or two before he's being considered for selection for the firsts? The question is, in what position will he come in...

Tiendalli seemingly resigned to leaving the Swans

It seems Dwight Tiendalli is making plans for life beyond SA1. You can't blame him given the Swans' continued silence on his contract, and he can realistically feel a bit hard done by given the level of his performances this year. With the emergence of Ben Davies, and the continuity Angel Rangel provides, it seems he will, with the return of both Taylor and Jazz Richards for next season, find himself even further on the fringes. Tiendalli had this to say when speaking to local media:

Tiendalli takes on ex-Swan Joe Allen

"I don't think I will be here next year. I have only a one-year contract and I haven't heard anything from the club — the facts are there. I hear nothing from them when I only have a year contract, so that's why I think I won't be here next year." 

"I don't think it's about my agent going to the club. If the club want me they have to say they need me next year, not that I have to get my agent to call them. I am just concentrating on my games, on trying to perform well. I know what I can do and I think I've shown it in the games I've played. 

"The club have said nothing. I have a one-year contract and the facts are I am not staying here next year unless anything changes. It's up to the club, not me. They know who is running out of contract and who needs to be spoken to about extending. It's not up to me." Dwight Tiendalli

If he does move on, it will be with no lack of affection from the vast majority of Swansea fans, and it really is a shame for Dwight the way things have worked out. Given Swansea's need for four "homegrown players" for the Europa League next year, Jazz Richards will very likely by included in the first team squad, so you'd have Taylor and Davies for left-back, and Rangel and Richards covering right-back. Given Laudrup's repeated calls for squad-trimming and to only have two players per position, it seems unlikely Tiendalli will be offered a new contract.

His performances for the Swans will no doubt have caught the eye of potential suitors, so let's just hope that in a year's time we aren't rueing letting him go. With Taylor's ability to cover right-back, and with Jazz Richards looking very good indeed for Palace, there's no cause for concern; we are more than covered at full-back, but it does seem a shame to let go a player who has most definitely played well during his time at the club.

Whatever happens Dwight, I'm sure every Swansea fan will wish you luck wherever you end up.

Just don't sign for Cardiff...

Tiendalli relaxed over new contract, and Swansea take ex-Man Utd youngster Kenji Gorre on trial

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:

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

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. 

The Rangels host a charity night, and Laudrup on Tiendalli

Angel & Nikki Rangel set to host charity night in aid of Severn Hospice, Maggies Cancer Caring Centres & Kids Cancer Charity

Does what it says on the tin really. The Rangels found themselves in the spotlight of the national media at the tail end of last year, when, after grabbing some food at a local sandwich bar, the owner remarked he would be throwing out a lot of leftover food, and what a shame that was. Rangel proceeded to tweet;

Angel Rangel spots some food going spare

 ""Anyone knows the location of homeless people in Swansea? I got food going spare! #randomtweet"

They then spent over an hour driving around Swansea, which was in the middle of a snow-laden cold snap, looking for homeless people with whom to share the food, until they received a response to their tweets from a homeless charity. They said they now plan to repeat their goodwill mission on a regular basis. Rangel shied away from the credit, saying it was actually his wife's idea to donate the food to the local homeless population;

"My wife, Nikki, who is a very caring and charitable person, asked if we could have them for the homeless rather than see them thrown in the bin.They agreed and we drove around Swansea for over an hour, but couldn't find any homeless people as it was so cold out on the streets with all the snow." Angel Rangel

This is why the news that Nikki & Angel Rangel are putting on a charity night at the Liberty Stadium won't come as a surprise to many, given their previous, and it's clearly something that's close to their hearts. The night itself is on April the 10th, and Rangel has been heavily promoting the event himself on Twitter, with one of the prizes on offer being his personal box (for 8 people) for the Manchester City game. I haven't heard of many footballers doing that kind of thing, but maybe it goes unnoticed unless you're a fan of the club in question. Tickets for the event are £40, and for more information contact Nikki on 07506 169633.

Ipswich player gives tickets to "skint" fan after responding to tweet

Tyrone Mings

Continuing with the goodwill theme, did anyone hear about young Ipswich Town player Tyrone Mings? This really is a story to warm the heart of any football fan. Before the home game against Bolton, Mings tweeted the usual pre game "big game today yayaya" but what happened afterwards was remarkable. One fan tweeted wishing him luck, saying he couldn't make the game as he was skint and Mings immediately responded by offering the fan two tickets, as long as he could get to Portman Road to pick them up. The fan, Tris Monk (people have good names in Ipswich!) subsequently enjoyed watching his team beat Bolton 1-0. Great story.

Laudrup coy on Tiendalli future

Tiendalli battles with Man Utd's Patrice Evra

In a press conference recently, Laudrup was pressed on the future of the Surinam-born Dutchman, but refused to be drawn on talks of contracts and the like. Laudrup instead simply stated that he'd been pleased by Tiendalli's involvement with the squad, describing him as important:

“Dwight’s been important for us. Maybe he’s had his best games at right back not at left because being a right footed left back is very different, but I have been pleased with his work. We brought him in to help Ben because my intention was not to put all the pressure on a young player knowing you have one player in one position. Ben has coped fantastically with it.” Michael Laudrup

I've been impressed with Tiendalli. He's very much in the Rangel mould, and short of any vastly better acquisition, I don't think we should release him. Taylor's reintroduction into the squad still isn't complete, and it remains to be seen whether Jazz will make the step up to regular first team football for the Swans, so Tiendalli and Rangel are the only real natural options for the Swans at the moment - and both have performed well this season.

Even when Taylor returns to the fold I'd like to see Dwight retained for at least another year, as he seems a positive addition to the squad. His work rate in attack and defence can't be questioned, and he has had games where I found myself wanting to describe him as "marauding" - albeit if on a few of those occasions the end product wasn't quite there. Still, for free, and with a pedigree which includes spells at Ajax and Feyenoord, he's been a quality bit of business. As I've said, unless they've got someone lined up for the right-back spot to challenge Rangel, or Laudrup is expecting Jazz to challenge next season, it seems prudent to tie down Dwight for at least another year. With the season coming to an end you'd expect an announcement soon, so it seems just a case of waiting for an announcement now. Fingers crossed!