Tate, Augustien, Obeng, Lita & Moore transfer listed as Swans look to make room in squad

Quintet likely to be heading to pastures new as Laudrup looks to streamline the roster of players available to him

In what could probably be viewed as the first wave of departures from the Liberty since promotion to the Premiership (the odd player sale excluded), it seems we're set to say goodbye to one player in particular who's worn his heart on his sleeve for the entire of his spell in SA1.

Still aged only 30, there's a distinct possibility that Alan Tate will continue to play football at, at least, Championship level. He equipped himself well during our rise through the divisions and despite some (overly) harsh words from fans at times I thought he was excellent - and I include his performances at left-back into that. Ok, when up against certain tricky wingers he struggled, but what right-footed emergency left back wouldn't?

Sadly, it seems the time has come where Laudrup thinks we need to be looking above and beyond players of Tate's standing, and we can only hope he'll still receive a testimonial at some point. Laudrup indicated his decision to transfer-list certain players won't necessarily have been a shock to them:

“Some of them were spoken to in April; Tate and Bartley knew we wanted to bring in a different type of centre-back. We want someone who can play a little higher with more speed and they both said they didn’t want to be fourth or fifth choice here.

“With the forwards [Moore & Lita], even if we went into pre-season without new strikers, I wouldn’t have brought them. I wanted them to have the time to find another club instead of coming here just to wait before we signed someone.”

In what can only be described as a wonderfully subtle soundbite, Laudrup also indicated it wasn't necessarily just footballing reasons which have led to Kemy Augustien being shown the door:

“There were a lot of things with Kemy last season and it’s best for him that he finds a new environment and tries to play a little more regularly.”

That's being kind. 36 (I think?) points on his driving license for a series of offences, and going out on the piss with the club's arch-rivals less than 48 hours before he could realistically have been expecting to play a Premier League game? Not the conduct you'd expect from someone being paid many thousands of pounds a week to play football.

In regards to ongoing speculation as to the club's remaining transfer targets (Huddersfield's Jack Hunt in particular), the Dane was typically coy:

“You could ask a lot of names. So many players are linked and when they go to another place it’s because they turned us down when we never wanted them. If I signed just half of those linked we would have a squad of 36.” Michael Laudrup

While we don't want to become overloaded, these are exceptionally exciting times. It seems we're in the market for more or less anyone who'd improve the overall calibre of the squad, and why not? Assuming (and why wouldn't you?) that we can easily afford all of these transfers, it's really pleasing to see the club pursuing transfer targets with a vengeance. Who knows, we may yet see another quality acquision or two before the end of the summer.

Swansea have bid accepted for Nathan Redmond

The Birmingham Mail are reporting that both the Swans & Norwich have had bids accepted for the young wide-man

Following on from the profile I put together of Redmond when news of our interest in him first broke (read it here), it seems there really is something in this story. Whether we'll get our man remains to be seen, as current Canaries boss Chris Hughton has previously worked with Redmond at Birmingham City and that may well be enough to sway him in their direction, however with Europa League football on offer the Swans have incentives of their own. 

Redmond in action for Birmingham

The rumour is that despite Birmingham boss Lee Clark's reluctance to sell his best players, the financial peril the Blues have found themselves in dictates their transfer policy. Curtis Davies has already departed for Hull for £2.25million, and with Redmond's asking price reported to be only £2million I'll be amazed if more clubs don't come in for him before the deal is rubber-stamped. As well as the Swans' and Norwich's bids, the Birmingham Mail are also reporting that a third, unnamed Premier League club have had a bid rejected - who that may be is anyone's guess but I'd speculate that with the asking price so low, an improved bid may well be forthcoming.

Another aspect of the transfer which may work in Swansea's favour is the possibility of Kyle Bartley heading the other weigh as some kind of makeweight. It was mentioned when the story first broke that this may well end up panning out, and given Curtis Davies' transfer the Blues could seriously do with a decent centre-back - and I'd say Bartley definitely fits the bill. Whatever the reason behind his continued exclusion from the Swansea first-team, I'd say it's a shame given when he's played (Liverpool away excluded) he's looked a tidy footballer, but if it results in the club signing an exciting young winger I can't say I'm that against it.

Lee Clark told the Birmingham Mail that he's already been trying to tie up some loan deals for next season:

“I have agreed terms with two players and two Premier League clubs to take a right-sided centre-half and a left-sided centre-half on season-long loans. 

“Those deals are subject to medicals when the lads get off holidays, as Premier League teams aren’t due back for 10 days to two weeks, but I hope to have those completed next week because of the agreements with the players and the clubs are in place. It’s just down to them coming through the medicals. 

“I have spoken to both players and I will be delighted to get them."  Lee Clark

If the right-sided centre-back he's referring to is Bartley, then a loan to a competitive Championship club would well be a good thing. He didn't get a look in during the 2nd half of the season, so regular game time could well see him proving himself and coming back to the Swans with the bit between his teeth - wait and see eh?

Swansea linked with Ecuador winger Jefferson Montero

Montero during his time at Real Betis

In truth, this has got a mention purely because the guy has an outstanding name. I'm all for footballers who possess either (or ideally both) good hair or a good name, and while his barnet isn't up to much his moniker certainly is. What do we know about him? Information is scarce, but apparently he did play against the Swans when Betis came to town for a friendly, during a season-long loan he enjoyed at the club. 

I'll be surprised if there's anything in this, given he's currently playing in Mexico and our scouting network is anything but extensive. He came to Europe to play for Villareal, but after they deemed he wasn't up to their standard he was shipped out to Levante, then Betis on loan before subsequently heading back closer to home to play his football in the Liga MX. 

I'll file this one in the "very unlikely" drawer...

Edit: I've just found out that Jefferson Montero wears "JEFF" on the back of his shirt. That's me sold...

Swansea announce signature of Jose Canas, and state there's plenty of transfer funds available for further signings

Swans break silence on alleged dispute over summer spending, while midfielder Canas will sign on July 1st when transfer window opens

So, finally some response from the club, and it's typical Huw. 

“Myself, the manager and our recruitment staff are all agreed on the quality of players we would like to sign to help us remain competitive in the Barclays Premier League. We are continuing to work behind the scenes, in private wherever and whenever we can, to strengthen our squad.  

“For that reason it’s disappointing that I have to respond to the speculation of unrest at the club after the fantastic season we have had. There are substantial funds available to strengthen our squad over the summer while we are also in the privileged position, because of the way we’ve managed our finances over the years, that we do not need to sell anyone to fund those new recruits.  

“It goes without saying that some of our targets will sign for other clubs for different reasons. But that’s the same for every club. The important thing, and a factor that has always been vitally important for us, is that we sign players who want to play for Swansea City for footballing reasons. If not, then we move on to the next target.  I think most people will agree that it is a policy that has served this football club, and more importantly our fans, well over the last decade.  

“It is true that I have not sat down with our manager since the last game of the season against Fulham, but that’s because we have both been away on holidays at different times. It doesn’t mean we haven’t spoken because I’ve had numerous conversations with Michael over the phone and there's been no difference of opinion on our original transfer targets.  

“We have built up a strong reputation over the last few years at Swansea and I believe we have gone about our business in the right way. We have to remain strong for the sake of our supporters and make sure this proud reputation is protected at all costs.  

“A lot of hard work has been done to try and maintain and improve on the incredible journey we have had over the last 10 years. That work will continue.’’  Huw Jenkins

Quite. After watching the current board lead the Swans from the foot of the football league to the biggest league in world football, it's hard to doubt them, yet still some do. Whenever rumours arise, people always seem to want to snipe at people who have previously enjoyed untarnished reputations - but hey, it sells papers right? For me, I have absolute, unmitigated faith in the Swans' owners, and have no doubt that at all times they act in the best interests of the club.

The idea that after 10 years of prudently (and successfully) running a football club they're suddenly going to make decisions to the detriment of the club is laughable and to be honest, rather insulting. Other football clubs may have leeway with their finances, but then other football clubs aren't run as well as the Swans; but don't let that fool you into thinking that the Swans (or Huw) are "tight" when it comes to the transfer market. Two £5million signings last year showed the Swans weren't afraid to pay out if they thought the price was right, and when you compare that to the likes of Arsenal (who are sitting on £150million) you can hardly say the Swans' board have been reluctant to spend.

There's always politics between a manager and his board, and I understand that at most clubs it's not uncommon for the manager to go to the board in the hope of some extra cash, or a bit more money for wages, but the Swans don't operate like that. They have a budget, and that's it. Don't like it? Close the door quietly on the way out please. It's not a secret, and I find it hard to believe that it's come as a surprise to Laudrup that Huw will refuse to move on the club's financial position.

Canas agrees terms with Swansea City, and will join up with the squad on July 1st 

Canas in action against Barca.

I found it quite amusing that on the official club website the quote above was tacked on to the announcement regarding Canas' signature. Very Swans. It's been all but confirmed for a while now that the Spaniard is heading to South Wales, and he will join up with his fellow countrymen Pablo Hernandez, Angel Rangel, Michu & Chico Flores when the transfer window opens.

A did a statistical profile of him a while ago (click here to view it) and I described him as a hairier, taller version of Leon Britton who likes to put himself about a bit, and if that turns out to be true he's just the player we need. He helped Betis get to the Europa League playoff places so he could well have been enjoying European football in Spain next year, however he's opted to sign for the Swans and that further reinforces what Huw has said regarding players who want to play for us. 

When you consider Canas' agent's comments regarding him knocking back bigger offers from other clubs in favour of a transfer to SA1 it seems he really does fancy it here, and why not? European football, plenty of Spanish faces and an attacking brand of football - there's plenty going for the club when it comes to raiding the Spanish market. Let's just hope it doesn't come at the expense of local talent, although the investment in Landore and Fairwood would indicate a successful youth system is very much a part of the Swans' long term vision.

Bienvenido, Jose! Bueno suerte!

A profile of Swansea target Diego Capel

Everything you needed to know, and probably some things you didn't

Capel during his time at Sevilla.

With all the recent murmurings surrounding Laudrup's future at the Swans I've been looking for something positive to write about for a while, however in truth it's been a slow week or two in terms of actual news as the club continue to play their cards close to their chest. As I write this Skysports News are reporting that there's been a "further breakdown" between Huw Jenkins and the Swans' manager, however let's deal with that if it comes to it.  

One item of news which has caught my eye of late is the rumour we're looking to sign Spanish flyer Diego Capel. After a brief stint at Barcelona as a youngster, Capel progressed through the youth ranks at Sevilla before getting his break in rather tragic circumstances. During the first game of the 2007/08 season, regular left winger Antonio Puerta collapsed on the pitch, suffering from the first in a series of cardiac arrests that sadly he would fail to recover from. Originally he managed to walk off the pitch, but after collapsing again in the changing room he was rushed to hospital, where he died three days later.

Despite the adverse nature of his promotion to a first-team berth, Capel went on to do well for Sevilla, though goals have always been in short supply throughout his career. In 283 games (in all competitions) he's scored 27 goals, meaning he's just shy of scoring one goal every ten games, but in fairness to him he's very much your traditional winger and has been credited with 45 assists thus far in his career. Quite a respectable number I'm sure you'll agree, and personally I always feel assists aren't credited as often as they should be, so I'd wager good money that over the years he's had a hand in more goals than these stats give him credit for. He was rewarded for his fine form for Sevilla with selection for the national side, providing two assists in a 3-0 friendly win in Denmark which was enough to see him included in the squad for Euro 2008. He started the opening game against Bosnia & Herzegovina but sadly picked up an injury in the days after the game, which ruled him out for the rest of the championship and saw him replaced by Albert Riera (remember him?).

In 2011 after seven years at Sevilla, he made the relatively short hop from Seville (in the south of Spain) to Lisbon in Portugal where he signed for Sporting C.P for an undisclosed fee, and for a player who was once linked with a big money move to Spurs it must seem like his star has fallen slightly. Sporting finished this season in 7th position - hardly imperious and if he received an offer from a Premier League club I'm sure he'd be very interested in hearing what they had to say. Given that the figure floating around seems to be in the region of £4.5million I'd say his signature would be a prudent move on the part of the Swans, and that if he's provided with the right platform Capel can excel. 

Capel this season, in action for Sporting Lisbon.

Despite playing 283 games for Sevilla and Lisbon, he's still just 25 and has plenty of life left in him. If he can kick on he has all the attributes to be a quality addition to the Swans squad; he's fast, can cross (something only Wayne Routledge can claim to have done consistently) and can beat his man, but more importantly for me he's left footed and is a traditional "flyer". At present the wingers tuck in a lot and hit the gap between the centre-back and full-back, but with a player like Capel we'd have a different option which would keep the opposition on their toes. 

With other teams becoming increasingly accustomed to Swansea's gameplan, it's important we vary our play from season to season so that rivals aren't able to develop a system which counteracts the way Swansea play. Everton are an example of what I'm talking about - they seem able to deal with whatever the Swans throw at them and having a different option (hopefully with the acquisition of a striker we'll actually have a few next season) would be a great help if we're struggling to break teams down. Last term Capel played 35 games in all competitions, scoring 5 goals and getting 9 assists - statistics which easily stand up to any of Swansea's wingers (read a statistical comparison of Dyer, Routledge & Hernandez here), although given the disparity between the Premier League and the Portuguese equivalent it's hard to read too much into performance stats. Which is handy, because I can't really find any...

From what I know of Capel, I'm all for this move. He's fast, has played at the highest level and has a pretty impressive collection of titles from his time at Sevilla; he's won the UEFA Cup twice, the European Supercup, the Copa del Rey twice as well as the Supercopa de Espana - I'd wager he'd easily be the Swans most decorated player and with European football on the horizon it could be his experience is viewed as a massive asset which would aid a squad full of players keen to experience Europe for the first time, but short on experience at the highest level. Whether he's brought in or not remains to be seem, and will likely hinge on whether Michael Laudrup is still at Swansea City next year. I for one hope they're both in SA1 come August.

"Laudrup to stay at Swansea" says someone who could be his agent

Posts on Twitter indicate all is well in South Wales

Following on from the supposed news that Laudrup was growing miffed at our lack of activity in the transfer market, we've had to endure a farcical few days of speculation. The manner in which this is currently being handled is rather worrying to be honest - it seems no-one really knows what's going on and at the centre of the issue is Bayram Tutumlu, Laudrup's agent.

Posts on a newly created Twitter account purportedly belonging to the Dane's representative have led to a new wave of stories. The only quote the press have run with is this:

"Michael Laudrup is going to stay at Swansea City because he promised the players that he was going to stay. 

"For Michael Laudrup, his word is more important than other things." 

Matter over? Not quite. Within hours of this story being picked up, there was massive speculation as to whether the Twitter account is genuine. I have to admit, I have my doubts and given that WalesOnline weren't confident enough to use the quote in their article it seems I'm not alone. The Evening Post and Skysports were both confident enough to include it though, so maybe they've managed to verify it's authenticity.

As stated the other day, even if there is an issue I'm sure it can be resolved amicably. Laudrup seems like a reasonable chap, and losing out to clubs like Liverpool (Aspas) and Chelsea (Lukaku looks set to stay in London next season) can hardly be labelled as a failing on the part of the board.

Given that all this speculation stemmed from comments by Tutumlu, if it turns out the Twitter account is genuine then it could be that he's trying to stem the surge of conjecture that we've seen this week. We won't know until it's confirmed or denied either way - Swansea Vice-Chairman Leigh Dineen originally denounced the account as a fake but has since admitted it looks like the account used (along with another) are both genuine, so hopefully that's this one put to bed.

With Laudrup reported to be meeting the board for talks next week, it could well be that transfer dealings start in earnest. I for one can't wait. 

"Rift" over transfer kitty - pure speculation?

Is anyone else growing increasingly tired of the constant speculation surrounding Michael Laudrup, which seems to be mainly driven by the Evening Post? The problem is that given almost all of the quotes we are reading are invariably taken out of context, it's hard to actually discern what the hell is going on at the Liberty.

At the moment I'm choosing to stay positive. If you ask any manager "what would happen if you don't get sufficient funds to invest in the squad?" they're likely to respond with something akin to "well if that was the case, I'd have to assess the situation and see what the best options are", and in truth that's the only quote which seems to have driven the current wave of conjecture regarding Laudrup's transfer kitty this summer.

I thought an interesting exercise would be to strip away all of the journalism surrounding the quotes, and see what we're left with. Who knows, maybe we're worried about nothing. Here are as many as I could find:

Laudrup's agent - Bayram Tutumlu;

“Michael Laudrup, just now, is very happy at Swansea City. Of course Michael has had offers from elsewhere. Other teams can wait one or two years. We know Michael is going to train the big teams but this is not the moment. 

“Michael doesn't think about other teams because he promised to the players and the fans he wants to stay in Swansea. When we expanded the contract of Michael Laudrup, we spoke with the board and the chairman that they're going to make a really good team for Michael. 

“A good team is no problem. If they don't have the possibility of making a good team, I don't know what can happen. Michael needs good players. We don't want to have the same experience as Newcastle for example. He told the board and the chairman that [Swansea] need a very good squad this year.”

Huw Jenkins:

"It's been a long season and when the time is right we will sit down with Michael to talk more about next season in a professional manner"

Before...

"I will not comment on this story."

Huw had previously gone on a charm offensive;

“I think it’s important what we’ve done with Michael. We’ve touched on players staying here and it’s the same with Michael. He wants to stay here so it wasn’t a difficult discussion to renew his contract. 

“He wants to stay here and test himself with new challenges in the Europa League and the Premier League. With Roberto and Brendan moving on, we’ve showed that we’ve been doing things in a good way. 

“We’ve enhanced many managers’ careers over recent years and I think we’ve provided Michael with that lift and stability to raise his profile.”

Michael Laudrup

From the BBC;

"Unless we find a couple of hundred million pounds I think last season we achieved nearly the maximum we can in terms of the table. There are always things you can improve, but there are not many higher positions we can look at. 

"Even consolidating is going to be very difficult. Some of the teams below us this season will invest heavily; West Ham, Newcastle, Aston Villa. 

"They are huge clubs who want to take the place where we are right now."

 From Skysports;

"I wanted to stay because the club said they were going to strengthen their team. Of course we need to do that, but I'm sure they will keep their word about that, and then I want to stay for the fans and also for some of the players - they came for me so I can't just leave them after one season. 

"We don't have so much money compared to the rest of the teams so we have to do it like that [shop clever], but we'll have to strengthen our team just to try to keep where we are right now, consolidate as a mid-team, because there are a lot of teams, bigger clubs, below us who will spend big money. 

"We've already seen West Ham with Andy Carroll, I think Newcastle and others will do the same so we'll have to be very good in the transfer market to compete."

So, what are we looking at here? It all seems centred around the transfer budget, and it appears that assurances were given when Laudrup signed his new contract that he'd be given ample funds to improve the squad. If there was a number mentioned, you'd have to hope the Swans honour that (and I have no doubt they would) whereas if there wasn't, it's possibly been a case where the two parties have distinctly different perceptions of "ample funds".

One thing bothers me with this story though - who exactly is suggesting the Swans aren't willing to stump up in the transfer market this summer? There's been the vague rumour that the Swans are interested in Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, but that we won't (or can't) meet the asking price, but in truth I'm still not comfortable about signing a £10 or £11million pound striker - more for the contract demands that would surely come with such a player. No doubt the board will play hard-ball, but you'd be hard pushed to find an £11million pound striker who'll accept less than £40kpw.

Aside from that, there's been no indication the board have reneged on any kind of agreed transfer fund, and given that the transfer window is closed and Laudrup is currently on holiday it seems hard to fathom just why there is a constant stream of speculation coming out of SA1. I'll reserve judgement for now, but if it turns out this was just newspaper speculation it'll have severely marred the relationship between the local rag and the club, and it may be that we see reduced press access as a result. That may not be a bad thing to be honest.

Personally, while I'm a sucker for a good quote I still don't think there's anything in this. Whatever the issue is, I find it very hard to believe that it can't be resolved in an amicable manner, and that Laudrup will be backed in the transfer market as well as the club can afford, without jeopardising it's financial footing one iota.

And that's the way it should be.

Jazz looking forward to Playoff Final, Shaun MacDonald on winning promotion from League One & the latest transfer target to emerge in the press

Current and ex-Swan hoping Crystal Palace gain promotion to Premiership

This is, of course, the Championship playoff final, to be played out this afternoon between Crystal Palace and Watford. Ian Holloway is looking to guide Palace past Gianfranco Zola's Watford team in what will no doubt be a frenetic display of committed football. Crystal Palace will sadly be unable to call on a man who is starting to become somewhat of a Playoff legend - Stephen Dobbie. The Scottish attacker is ineligible due to being on loan from one-time playoff rivals Brighton. Remarkably, he's played in three consecutive Championship Playoff Finals - winning two before losing to West Ham with Blackpool last year, and he'll be disappointed he can't add to his four goals at Wembley. With both teams favouring attack to defence we could be in for a great game.

Jazz started out well at Palace, enjoying a good run of form which was no doubt aided by the fact that regular right-back Joel Ward was out injured. Once Ward returned to fitness, it was only a matter of time before he reclaimed his first team berth from Richards and of late Jazz has had to watch from the bench as his team-mates have put together a six-game unbeaten run which has led to the Championship showpiece in London. He's spoken to the Swans official site about what it's like to be involved in such a big game at Wembley:

“I was part of the squad when we got to the Play-Off final two years ago and to have been part of winning that game – for my hometown club – was a dream come true,” said the Wales international. Even though I didn’t get off the bench, just being involved in the warm-ups and looking up at the 80,000 or so in the stadium was a memory that will live with me forever. It’s a really special occasion.  

“It’s a mad day, too. You are trying to be as focused as possible, while the manager is trying to keep the tension and emotions under control, but as soon as you turn the corner and head into the stadium, you get this rush of adrenaline and it hits you – this is for a spot in the Premier League.  

Jazz in action for Crystal Palace

“It was massive for us at Swansea when we beat Reading. The club hadn’t been in the Premier League before and it was new territory for us, but it means just as much to everyone here at Palace. The club should be in the Premier League, and we are just one game away from it., and when I look around at the squad, we have a great mix of players.  

"The gaffer can call on the experience of Mile Jedinak, Damian Delaney, Danny Gabbidon, Peter Ramage and Kevin Phillips while we have youngsters like Wilf Zaha, Yannick Bolasie and Jonny Williams who can spice the game up and express themselves on a pitch like Wembley.  

“It’s going to be a fantastic match for the neutral, and I hope everyone back in Swansea will be rooting for Palace today because it’s a fantastic club. I’ve had a great time at Palace. I’m very grateful to the club for the opportunity they have given me. I’ve been away from home for the first time, played with a different group of players, and I’ve got 11 games under my belt so far. “I got a regular run of games under my belt, then I found myself out of the team -but I’ve still learned from that, and those experiences will help me progress as a footballer, but hopefully I will finish my loan spell with a win. To help Palace to the Premier League would be a great achievement for me.”  Jazz Richards

It was recently announced that Stephen Dobbie is joining Palace on a permanent basis once the transfer window opens. Good luck to him at his new club, but more importantly good luck to both Jazz and Palace today as they look to secure a win in a match worth, apparently, £120million. Remarkable that when we went up just two seasons ago it was worth "only" £90million. Football is bonkers. On to another ex-Swan who has gained promotion then...

Shaun MacDonald helps AFC Bournemouth gain promotion to Championship

Swansea youth product MacDonald came through the ranks and was highly rated as a youngster. Alan Curtis revealed a few years ago that the young midfielder had earned the nickname "Zidane" in training, due to his excellent close control and ball retention in possession based exercises. Sadly, it never really worked out for Shaun during his time in South Wales - fourty first team appearances (with a large proportion coming off the bench) and five loan spells at Yeovil later he joined Bournemouth for around £80k (although the Swans have a large sell-on clause in place) and happily things have worked out a little better on the south coast. 

MacDonald in action for AFC Bournemouth

At first it must have all seemed a bit familiar for Shaun, as he saw two managers depart in quick succession before Eddie Howe was brought in, but times are better now and the midfielder was rewarded with a new three year contract in January. MacDonald, once capped by Wales, has helped his team to the unlikeliest of promotions this year - and they came within a whisker of winning the League One title - being held 0-0 at Andy Robinson's Tranmere Rovers on the final day of the season. That was enough for Brian Flynn's Doncaster Rovers to snatch the top spot (although it wasn't enough to keep Flynn in the job), but Bournemouth had, up until that point, been on a club record run of eight consecutive league wins, so it seems they came good at just the right time. 

MacDonald is clearly enjoying his time at Bournemouth, and sees no reason why the team can't push on:

'I don`t think any other club suited me the way it did the first day I came here. I look back and have no regrets. We got promoted, we have a special manager and a special team and it`s worked out well. I feel now that coming to Bournemouth was the best decision of my career so far. 

"I am gutted that Cardiff got promoted, Not only are they Swansea`s rivals but now there are no Welsh teams for us to play against in the Championship. Getting to the Premier League is now the next step for us to look forward to, so then I can face them. 

"Being successful in the Championship is the goal and if we carry on like we did this season, there is no reason why we won`t be." Shaun MacDonald

Assuming Bournemouth retain their Championship status for at least one year, and that Cardiff don't make a load of clever signings, he may not have that long to wait to play against the team from the capital.

Swansea linked with Alejandro Pozuelo, in what is starting to look like a raid on Real Betis

This is, as yet, an unsubstantiated rumour however it's a bit of an exciting one. Pozuelo is a creative attacking midfielder, and as seems to be the norm for Real Betis players he has excellent hair. There's scant information online, but it seems a number of clubs have been keeping tabs on a player who excelled for Real Betis B before his promotion to the first team in October 2011. It seems his progress has been somewhat stunted by an incident following a game against Espanyol a year later, where Pozuelo came in to the changing room after the game mouthing off regarding negative team tactics costing Betis the game (source: LINK). Apparently he was at fault for a crucial goal, so his outburst was possibly a little misguided, but it shows he's passionate and if there's one thing you can't say about the Swans this year it's "that we played with negative tactics". 

Meanwhile, Jose Canas has, through his agent, refuted allegations that he's been taking it easy since agreeing a move to the Swans. 

“Jose has done very well this season, even though he is leaving. He wanted the club to receive money for him but that was not possible.  

"Jose has given Real Betis everything but maybe the fans don’t understand that.” Canas' agent Alvaro Torres

I'd say given the amount of talk regarding this particular transfer, and these latest quotes from his agent, it seems Canas is now surely a done deal. Hopefully there'll be an official announcement soon, but until then we will just have to sit patiently in anticipation of imminent transfer dealings.

If anyone would like to read a profile of Jose Canas which I put together a while back (nb: the stats will no longer be up to date), click here.

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...