Club’s fate up in air, but rumour mill is running
FOR Swansea City, there’s surely only one thing on everyone’s mind right now.
After the weekend’s 2-2 draw with Reading, Steve Cooper’s side are now preparing for their second play-off campaign in as many seasons, and hopes will be high they can mend last season’s heartache at the hands of Brentford and secure a return to the Premier League after three years away.
And given there is still some uncertainty over what division they will be playing in next season, Swansea are likely to be keeping their summer plans pretty open, with promotion likely to have a big impact on what sort of transfer targets they feel they can pursue.
Nevertheless, Swansea’s situation hasn’t stopped the rumour mill starting, with several players already mentioned as possible targets.
Here’s a closer look at the players Swansea have been linked with so far, and where things stand...
KEAN BRYAN
His contract up at the end of the season and the centre-back’s future at Sheffield United looks increasingly uncertain, with recent reports citing Swansea City as one of several clubs monitoring his situation.
As things stand, Swansea’s star centre-back Marc Guehi is set to return to parent club Chelsea this summer and, even with promotion, keeping the England Under-21s international will likely be a big ask.
It therefore wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Swans in for a replacement this summer, and Bryan would be a more than capable candidate.
The pull of Premier League football would certainly leave the Swans in a strong position should they see him as a good fit, although reported interest from Watford can’t be discounted given they will be able to offer topflight football.
Sources at the Liberty Stadium have previously played down Swansea’s possible interest in Bryan, but at the same time have admitted he would fit the mould in terms of what sort of player they might be interested in.
Failure to gain promotion would likely be a much harder sell, but given they will still have the likes of Ryan Bennett, Joel Latibeaudiere, Ben Cabango, Brandon Cooper and possibly Kyle Naughton to call on, there is a feeling that they would be well stocked for central defensive options in the second tier.
JONSON CLARKE-HARRIS
A really interesting one.
The Peterborough United forward was on target yet again at the weekend, netting his 29th league goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Charlton Athletic, a win that puts Posh within three points of promotion to the Championship.
His red-hot form has attracted plenty of attention, with Cardiff City and Scottish giants Rangers among those to also be recently linked.
Sheffield United are among the more recent suitors to have been mentioned, while reports across the Severn even claim that Russian side CSKA Moscow have taken a look.
Interest from Swansea would be understandable given that the Swans are likely to be keen on strengthening their forward options, whatever league they happen to be in next term.
However, a move to South Wales, from the outside anyway, seems unlikely.
Clarke-harris made the move to Cambridgeshire as a replacement for Ivan Toney, who moved to Brentford for a fee believed to be £6.5m plus add-ons after netting 24 goals in League One.
Given that Jonson-clarke has already surpassed that tally, it seems likely that Posh will demand a similar fee, or even slightly more.
That would almost certainly rule out the Swans, who are once again unlikely to splash the cash this summer, despite recently announcing a pre-tax profit in their latest accounts. Indeed, money across the Championship is likely to be tight.
Even if the Swans manage to reach the riches of the Premier League, paying a big fee to take a player from League One straight into the top flight, at the age of 26, isn’t the sort of gamble they tend to take nowadays.
CARLOS MENDES GOMES
The 22-year old forward has netted 15 goals for Morecambe in League Two this season, and Swansea are among a number of clubs mentioned as possible admirers.
As with Clarke-harris, Cardiff and Rangers have also been mentioned as possible rivals for his signature, while several other Championship clubs have also been credited with an interest.
As things stand, his contract is up this summer, which immediately strengthens the possibility of a move to SA1, although there have also been suggestions the Shrimps do have an option to extend by another year.
Should that situation transpire, it would perhaps damage Swansea’s chances of completing a move, although there are other factors that might cast doubt on the links.
For one, Mendes Gomes, despite his goal record, is a winger by trade rather than the out-and-out No. 9 that Swansea will be in the market for.
Steve Cooper has, until quite recently, favoured a wing-back system, rather than one that accommodates a traditional attacking wideman, and any move for Mendes Gomes is likely to depend on what sort of set-up he opts for next term.
Even so, Jamal Lowe, Morgan Whittaker and the returning Jordon Garrick are all capable options out wide, rendering it a position that isn’t likely to be too high on the list of priorities right now.
However, it’s understood the club may well look to bring in another option at No. 10 this summer, which is a role that Mendes Gomes can also play.
Nevertheless, the club are keen on bringing in attacking options they feel will be able to cut it in the Championship, and would ideally prefer players with some experience of the second tier, and League Two might well be considered too much of a jump.
MARC LEONARD
The 19-year-old was allegedly on the radar of both Swansea and Sunderland in the last window.
The midfielder has been in impressive form for the Brighton under-23s side, but with his contract up this summer he initially seemed destined for an exit.
However, his situation has since taken a twist, with reports on the South Coast now claiming Brighton are set to offer the Scot a new deal to stay with the Premier League side.
In any case, it’s understood that any move for Leonard would have likely been for Swansea’s under-23s side, who are already believed to be in the process of potentially snapping up youngsters released by other category one academies.