Swans play Carroll tune

BOB BRADLEY hopes to add two players to his Swansea squad in January as he tries to strengthen sufficiently to beat the drop.

The American (above) wants a central midfielder and a wide player, either permanently or on loan, to help lift his side out of the bottom three, where they sit after a miserable start to the campaign.

Swansea, who face Slaven Bilic’s West Ham on Boxing Day, have won just three Premier League games all season.

One against Sunderland, who now sit two points above them, in 18th place, and the other two against Burnley and Crystal Palace, the sides who occupy the spots directly above relegation zone.

The positive for Swans fans is that the Sunderland and Palace wins have both come since Bradley was brought in to replace Francesco Guidolin. Although two victories in 10 games means the American is already under significant pressure at the Liberty Stadium.

One of the players identified as a target is Tottenham midfielder Tom Carroll, who had a loan spell for Swansea in the 2014-15 season, and is available for £4million.

Bradley said: “Tom is a player who everyone here knows. He has been around in the past, he is a good footballer and he’s a player who has been discussed.

“Every player also gets looked at in comparison to other players – guys bring different pluses.

“What Tom brings as a footballer is he is technically sharp, a good passer, and those are qualities a team can use.

“We just have to look at how those attributes compare with other players who pop up.”

Bradley’s reference to player comparison is a nod to the club’s American owners’ desire to find talent using the ‘Moneyball’ statistical analysis theories popular in US sports.