Swans braced for a double blow in talks with key defenders
RUSSELL Martin does not expect Ryan Manning and Joel Latibeaudiere to sign new deals with Swansea City.
The pair have been pivotal figures under the current coaching staff but see their existing contracts expire following the conclusion of the 2022/23 season.
Both Manning and Latibeaudiere have held talks with the club’s chief executive Julian Winter and head of football operations Josh Marsh of late to discuss the possibility of putting pen to paper on extensions.
However, Manning has turned down his latest offer while Latibeaudiere is said to be considering his options ahead of the second half of the Championship campaign.
“The feedback is at this minute, Ryan’s agent is saying it’s unlikely we are going to sign the current deal he’s been offered and I’m not convinced we as a club can go any further,” Martin said on Manning’s situation.
“I think it’s a really good deal. It’s a good deal for us.
“We have three games and then the window will open, so there will be another discussion with Josh and Julian I am sure at some point about how we deal with that.
“But in the meantime I have got no worries about how Ryan is going to give everything.
“I thought he was excellent in the last half hour on Saturday [at Coventry], two huge goal contributions.”
On Latibeaudiere, the head coach said: “Speaking to Josh and Julian this week, it’s probably a similar situation.
“We’ve offered probably our last offer in terms of where we are as a club.
“At this minute in time Lats wants to take his time. It’s not the same as Ryan as in that it’s been turned down, but he is taking a bit longer to consider it and weigh up his options.
“We’ll have a bit more clarity after Christmas and we’ll go from there.”
It could leave Swansea desperately short in an area in which they were already looking to bolster.
Manning has largely made the left wing-back slot his own this season while Latibeaudiere has operated in a number of different positions.
Martin says the upcoming January transfer window could prove to be a repeat of this year’s winter market as the Swans once again pursue wing-back options.
“It’s probably similar to last season,” said Martin when pressed on his hopes for the opening month of the new year.
“We lacked in a certain area and Hannes [Wolf ] and Cyrus [Christie] came in and really added to the group and helped us. I don’t think we replaced either of them in the summer.
“Ryan’s stepped up in that position and done incredibly well, probably better than we and he envisaged at the start because he’s improved athletically so much.
“But we also have to be conscious that, at this minute in time, speaking to Josh and Julian, it’s probably unlikely that he’s signing a new contract. At the top end of the pitch we need a bit of help.
“That’s where we’re at and I think it’ll really help us if we can do the stuff we’re trying to do and planning to do. After conversations with Jake [Silverstein] and Jason [Levien] when they were over recently, they really want to help us in those areas.”
The club have identified a number of transfer targets and are now attempting to complete the necessary groundwork to ensure they can bolster the squad as swiftly as possible next month.
When asked if the club will do any business early on in the window, Martin responded: “I hope so because we’ve put a lot of work into it and we’ve been speaking to a lot of people.
“It’d be frustrating with the amount of work we’ve put into certain things to just let it wander.
“The earlier the better for everyone. January is never that simple, but we’ll try to do it as early and efficiently as possible so a player can come in and have a maximum impact for us.”
Swansea have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the trip to Reading on December 27. Michael Obafemi is set to play a part in his side’s upcoming run of three games in seven days, although he may not be risked against the Royals on Tuesday.
Matty Sorinola will return to the squad at Reading having missed his side’s last three fixtures.