Phil SumblerThere are now just a maximum of ten days until we will know the immediate future of Matt Grimes and Swansea City.
After a summer of speculation around various moves, the window will close at the end of that period and you don’t need to have any inside knowledge to know that by that point Grimes will either have stayed or he won’t.
All the positive signs are there – the club and player are certainly in discussion. The manager wants him to stay and, if those close to Grimes are to be believed, the player wants to stay. And the manager also said last night that Grimes’ partner loves the area as well.
But in the background you have a budget and somewhere within that budget will have been player departures this summer and the name of Grimes may have been one of those pencilled in as a possibility to balance the books.
“It’s all just noise around me at the moment,” Grimes told Sky Sports after the game in which he was awarded man of the match.
“I’ll give everything I can for this club every time I step foot on the pitch, and that’s all I can say about it really.”
Neither player or manager were being heavily drawn although Martin has not moved from his line since he arrived and that is he wants to keep Grimes and pretty much sees that as an essential part of his work here.
“He couldn’t believe he got the man of the match award, he’s very humble,” Martin said.
“He’s been great for us since we’ve come in, not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well, the way he conducts himself, he’s the captain for a reason, and he takes big responsibility on the pitch. He was a bit tired towards the end because he’s played just about every minute for us
“Nothing’s changed, really. He’s our player, we haven’t had a bid, he’s really happy here, as is his partner, who loves the area.
“So as far as I’m concerned he’s ours.
“And until someone tells me different I’ll enjoy working with him.”
Fulham remain watching in the background and it seems to be that maybe the financial aspects is the only thing standing in the way now of Grimes and an extended Swansea City stay.
