Carvalhal hoping Swans can reel in a catch of the day
SWANSEA City boss Carlos Carvalhal made waves on social media last week when he admitted, in true Eric Cantona style, that Swansea City would probably have to settle for “sardines” rather than “lobsters and seabass” when it came to strengthening in the transfer window.
And, by way of a follow-up, in his press conference ahead of a must-win clash against Newcastle United, Carvalhal carried on with the nautical theme when it came to discussing the club’s transfer activity this month.
When asked how the ‘fishing’ was going, Carvalhal responded: “The boat is on the sea!
“The bait is on the hook, but there is nothing so far.”
Carvalhal also revealed he did not have a set number of additions to bring in before the end of the month, instead looking to bring in as much quality within the club’s budget.
“I am not on the boat, I am on the beach watching,” continued Carvalhal. “They are players I want, they have to be the players a manager wants.
“I don’t have a number, I want to improve the team with the best quality we can possibly find.
“I won’t talk about a number, I want quality players. If we bring some quality players in, it will be on our budget.
“The most important thing is to make sure we target quality players to help the ones here who are doing so well with their attitude and commitment to take us to another level.
“We need to improve some areas, we have gaps in the team and must improve it.
“I respect the players we have here because their commitment is very good and I am proud of them.
“But we want two or three players to improve us a little more. “It is very clear.” And Carvalhal would not be drawn on commenting on Fulham full-back Ryan Fredericks or any of the other names linked with the Swans of late. Fredericks has been linked with a move to the Liberty Stadium, choosing instead to descend back into the fishing analogies.
“All players that do not belong to Swansea I will not talk about,” he explained.
“You never know how much time it can take, it’s up to whether the fish come to the boat or not.
“I understand you have to ask because your editor may be crazy with you but I will not speak on the names unless they are signed to us.
“If they are not signed, they are not ours and it is speculation.
“By the end of the month we will hopefully have three players, but we have been linked with 25 already.”