Downes future is key to next Swans moves
SWANSEA City swiftly set about altering other areas of their squad after concluding numerous defensive dealings early on in the summer transfer window.
The Swans have already added Harry Darling, Nathan Wood and Matty Sorinola to their ranks while they remain eager to sign a right wing-back. Following the spate of early business, Russell Martin has had far more moving parts to deal with when it comes to solving the midfield puzzle.
The club’s owners remain eager to raise funds through player exits which in turn can help to lower the wage bill. But the midfield situation has taken a significant twist in recent days. Liam Walsh ruptured his Achilles during the 7-0 pre-season win over Haverfordwest County on Friday afternoon. He was replaced after just 21 minutes of the behind-closeddoors contest and missed Tuesday’s clash with Colchester United.
And it has been confirmed that the 24-year-old is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines and will undergo surgery next week. It represents yet another major blow for the injuryplagued midfielder who played just 134 minutes of Championship football for the Swans last term before joining Hull City on loan where he got just 122 minutes under his belt.
The news comes amid strong transfer interest in one of last season’s stars, Flynn Downes. The Englishman is wanted by Crystal Palace while Wolves and Southampton have also kept a close eye on the 23-year-old.
He did not feature in the Swans’ pre-season double header against Colchester on Tuesday and is expected to depart in a deal that will tick a box as far as the club’s ownership group are concerned. Should Downes secure a move away from the Swansea.com Stadium, it would put Martin’s men in a far stronger position to fend off interest in their other stars, particularly Joel Piroe.
That’s not to say other key players would not be sold, although a lastditch sale for a cut-price deal akin to that of Joe Rodon to Tottenham two summers ago would no longer be a necessity. The key snag for Swansea now though is, of course, the fringe players.
Swansea were keen to offload Walsh – along with others including defender Ryan Bennett – in a bid to trim the wage bill. Walsh is unlikely to be available until the beginning of 2023 at the earliest, meaning even a January sale for the ex-Bristol City man is probably off the cards.
Fortunately, time is still on Swansea’s side when it comes to working out how best to assemble a squad that is capable of improving on Martin’s first transitional season at the club, and they have already gone a long way to doing so given their work on the defence combined with the addition of backroom staff, including set-piece coach Andy Parslow and head of performance Tom Barnden.
The midfield situation, though, is clearly a key one, particularly given the team’s style of play under the current coaching staff. Joe Allen could yet secure a return to his boyhood club, and Jay Fulton is now more likely to stay at Swansea along with captain Matt Grimes unless some major work is done over the next seven to eight weeks in the transfer market given the news on Walsh and Downes.
Olivier Ntcham is capable of operating in a deeper role, so there are solutions for Swansea’s problems. But Martin certainly won’t want a repeat of last season when it came to putting square pegs in round holes at times. He has regularly stated a need for specialists.
But with more than three weeks to go until the Championship opener at Rotherham United, the Swans are fully confident that they can find the resolution they need to ensure they are best placed to significantly improve on their 15th place finish last time out.