Swans and Southampton – Compensation close to being agreed.

It’s already feeling like it is dragging on but the Russell Martin to Southampton appointment will be confirmed this week as the two sides move nearer to a compensation agreement which will see Martin swap the South Coast of South Wales for the South Coast of England.

There have been varying reports on the compensation levels needed which cover not just Martin but the backroom staff that he wishes to take with him that have become the norm of any managerial move.

The compensation figure for the whole team that will move with Martin covers less than £1m in total and the two clubs are now believed to be very close to agreement on that figure and that the move could be confirmed as early as today with the fine print just about ironed out.

The Swans side of the discussion is as complicated as it always is when you are managed by a seeming committee that resides many thousands of miles away whilst for Southampton they have their own boardroom changes to take care of which have slowed down the proceedings from their side.

But both sides are clear that this is a move that will happen and whilst reports have told us that Russell Martin was not the first choice of the Saints board he is the one that they have settled on and will be the man to lead what they hope will be a charge back to the Premier League next season.

Martin is expected to be at St Mary’s for next Sunday’s season closing fixture against Liverpool by which point he is expected to be confirmed as the club’s new manager although clearly he will be a spectator as far as team selection goes for that final game.

By that point the Swans will have started talking to potential candidates who they see as a possible replacement for Martin with several names already in the public domain as the speculation continues as to who that person is.

With the transfer window just a couple of weeks away from opening it will be key to the Swans board that they bring in someone as soon as possible to give them the longest opportunity possible to identify targets that the new man will want for the new season but we also know that our track record in this front is not the quickest.

First though we have to close off the news that everyone knows and is waiting to be confirmed and that will come as soon as that compensation is formally agreed.   Today would be good!