Rob Davies
Michael Obafemi has been linked with a move to Graham Potter’s Brighton as the striker paid tribute to Russell Martin and the Swans coaching team.
Obafemi made his first appearance for the Irish national team for a number of years as a substitute but failed to make an impact as the team lost 1-0 to Armenia in the Nations League last weekend. He was also a substitute as the team lost at home to Ukraine on Wednesday.
He spoke to the Telegraph prior to the Armenia match and spoke of how difficult he found his early days at Swansea with the remoteness of the training ground a surprise compared to what he had been used to at Southampton.
“I believed in myself, that I could show everyone what I could do with the move to Swansea. For the second half of the season I did that and got the call up so I’m thankful for everyone around me that put me on the straight and narrow,” he told The Telegraph.
“It was everything, really. I just really wasn’t settled at the beginning. You could tell. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be there, but it was all so new to me. I got hit with it all at once and it took time to digest it all and once that happened, I was on it.
“Nobody wants to be out of the team. And when it happened it felt similar to being at Southampton when I was out of the team. I wasn’t happy about that. I couldn’t show what I could do to help the team and it was frustrating. The manager had immense faith in me and told me to keep pushing, and I’ve repaid him and he helped me.”
Much praise for the Swans boss from one of last season’s success stories although rumours have circulated that Obafemi is attracting interest from Graham Potter and Brighton.
The Swans would likely entertain offers for the player with the need to sell before any new signings can be made.
The situation with fellow striker Joel Piroe has gone quiet and maybe now the attention will move on to Obafemi and his future.
