However, with the Swans already out of the FA Cup it seems unlikely that Britton will sign until the week after next to maximise the number of games that he is available for. After tomorrow’s game against Shrewsbury, the Swans find themselves out of action until December 14th when they visit Exeter, Mike Lewis et al.
The potential capture of Britton is bound to set questions in some Swansea fans mind about whether we should be looking at Premiership Youth players or older players with Nationwide Experience but we have to trust Flynn’s judgement that the young players he is bringing in will do the job that we require of them. If we need thoughts as to whether this could pay off then I just put the names of Frank Lampard, John Salako and Matthew Rush in front of you.
Britton is a midfield player who spent six years at Chelsea before moving to Arsenal and then to the West Ham academy in what was described as a ‘big money move’ We also have to look at the success of the West Ham youth system having produced players like Lampard, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand and Jermaine Defoe to name but a few. Britton describes himself as “a bit on the small side (about 5ft 5ins) so I’m not going to win a lot of balls in the air or throw myself into tackles left, right and centre. I’d be no good playing for someone like Wimbledon – the team I supported as a boy – that’s for sure! But I can pass the ball well and I do create quite a few chances for others from central midfield. I like being in the thick of things. But I also enjoy playing in the hole behind the front two because you get a bit more freedom there – and the opportunity to grab a few goals yourself.”
Fans have been saying that we need a midfielder to fill some of the holes that we seem to play with in that position week in week out and Britton certainly seems to come with a pedigree – places at Chelsea, Arsenal or West Ham don’t come easily – time will tell whether it’s a pedigree that will benefit us – we can only hope it does.