Beckham gives seal of approval to new boy James
said on day one to all of the staff, we’re joining the football club, they’re not joining us and there’s already some excellent work going on here.”
With five of Swansea’s six summer signings being aged 24 or under, it’s evident that Cooper is hoping to build on the methods implemented by Potter last term.
It was also telling that Birch made it clear the club’s new boss – even before he was appointed – would have the final say on transfers.
“A manager will ultimately have that responsibility,” he said when it comes to who will decide on which players to sign.
“You always have an updated list of five players you are tracking in each position.
“You would say to the manager, you want a left-back or centre-forward. We have done all this scouting, now you go and have the final say.
That can be seen when you look at the men Swansea recruited in the summer.
Freddie Woodman won the Golden Glove award as England won the Under-17s World Cup under Cooper in 2017, while Kristoffer Peterson is someone the head coach knows well from his time as a youth coach at Liverpool.
There was a serious emphasis on profiling the characters of the summer additions as well as doing due diligence on their abilities as players
But as was the case with the previous regime, there’s also a clear pathway from the under-23 set-up to the first team, something Cooper wanted to continue.
Potter used no fewer than nine players from the academy last term, while the likes of Ben Cabango, Jordon Garrick and Kees de Boer all made their senior debuts in the Carabao Cup win over Northampton on Tuesday night which is further testament to the remarkable work done by Cameron Toshack, Gary Richards and everyone else in the youth system.
Given the club’s financial situation, there have inevitably been player sales, with the departures of Oli McBurnie and Daniel James to Sheffield United and Manchester United respectively being the biggest losses as far as the Swansea faithful are concerned.
The fees recouped for the pair were vital from a financial standpoint though, with Swansea earning around £33m, a sum that could rise to around £38m when add-ons are included, with Birch taking charge of transfer negotiations during the close season.
But coming back to the men brought in by Cooper, it’s clear the 39-year-old has done his all to get a team together with similar values and work ethics to his own in a bid to ensure everyone connected with the club aims for the same goals.
He’s trusted in people he knows well.
And the Jack Army could be in for a very enjoyable” season under their new head coach as a result of the tireless work done behind the scenes in recent months. MANCHESTER United star Daniel James has received plenty of praise for his early showings for . his new club.
But a message from United legend David Beckham probably tops the lot.
On his top-flight bow, Welshman James came off the bench to score the fourth in a 4-0 drubbing of Frank Lampard’s Chelsea at Old Trafford.
It was a bittersweet moment for the youngster, who celebrated with extra gusto, paying tribute to his father who passed away suddenly earlier this summer.
He pointed to the skies after being mobbed by his jubilant team-mates.
Former England skipper Beckham commented on a picture posted by the official club account: “That’s how players should celebrate when scoring in this shirt at our stadium @daniel_james97 @ manchesterunited.”
James replied with heart emojis.
It is clear that the 21-year-old is already a popular member of the United squad, and former United player-turned-pundit Owen Hargreaves reckons he can have a huge impact this term.
Hargreaves is the latest to be in awe of the former Swansea City man’s pace, which has already been on display in the Premier League this season.
“What a moment for the young man,” Hargreaves told Premier League Productions. “Signing for Man United, everything that’s happened within his family, you could see what it meant to him with his celebration.”
“Obviously he was very emotional, but that’s a massive moment for him.
“Off the bench his pace is scary.”