Things should look very different next weekend

It has often been said that a week is a long time in football and that will certainly be the case for Michael Duff as he spends the next few days putting the final touches to his preparations for his first competitive match for the club.

Birmingham City are the opponents in that game and by the time they arrive in South West Wales we should have seen three new arrivals in SA1 with every chance that three could become four.

Whilst Duff was overseeing his last pre-season fixture yesterday afternoon with a 4-0 win over Reading, there was a buzz of transfer activity back in Swansea with news that Carl Rushworth, Harrison Ashby and Kristian Pedersen were all set to be in Swansea next week.

Duff himself confirmed that three players were booked in for medicals on Monday – two of them loan deals – which backed up the reports. “There are three medicals booked for Monday morning, so we’re hoping they all come through,” Duff told BBC Sport Wales.

“You never know in football, someone might gazump us or they might fail their medicals hence the reason I never say who they are because if they fail a medical it’s not fair on the player because it might affect a move somewhere else.

“I think there’s a couple of loan moves in there”.

The loan moves of Rushworth and Ashby have been in the pipeline for a few weeks now but both were needed for their parent club’s pre-season tours.  With those tours now over, the deals can be finalised and both should not only be in the club before the week is out but ready to play their part against Birmingham.  (Loan deals set to be completed)

Both players were identified early by Paul Watson and Michael Duff as players who would add value to the squad which is something we hope they have called right but it is expected we will get plenty of chances to judge.   With both highly valued by their parent clubs then first team football will be a prerequisite of the move.   The question then is does this bring into question the longer term future at Swansea of Andy Fisher and Steven Benda?   The latter is out of contract next summer and injured until the new year with no guarantee that there is a longer term deal on the table.  The reality is that we probably need an upgrade on both and whilst Rushworth is a loan deal, the position of goalkeeper could remain on the radar of Duff way beyond this particular window.

Last night we carried the news on Kristian Pedersen being the anticipated third arrival to which Duff was referring.   Having spent a year in Germany following his release from Birmingham last summer, Pedersen would arrive in SA1 as a left sided centre back and add some more competition to defensive positions that include Ben Cabango, Harry Darling, Brandon Cooper and Nathan Wood.   Could this mean a loan deal for Cooper maybe as a result and maybe even a departure for one of the others ahead of the new season.   On this one we would like to think not (although a loan deal may make sense) but it is difficult to imagine too many of those names being happy with being outside of the matchday squads?

Similarly it is difficult to imagine Pedersen wanting to be here without some assurances that he will be very much of the first team plans so I do wonder if there is a knock on effect to his arrival but, as is said so often during windows, time will tell.

Another man said to be heading towards Swansea is Ukranian striker Mykola Kukharevych who spent last season on loan North of the border with Hibernian.  There is little doubt in my mind that between Kukharevych and Yates, Duff has signed two in anticipation at losing Joel Piroe.   He has shown in most of his pre-season games that he intends to play more with two players up front and we could see this pairing being the one that takes us forward into the new season.   It isn’t looking overly likely at the moment that Piroe will be moving on ahead of next weekend and the deal for Kukharevych isn’t said to be imminently ready to complete but it’s certainly on the cards.

Kukharevych is currently at Troyes, who are part of the City Football Group which also includes Manchester City, New York City, Melbourne City and Palermo.   There is said to be interest in the player from Girona – who are also part of the group – but Swansea is looking a likely destination for him.   Whether that is pending the departure of Piroe or will happen ahead of an anticipated departure is still not known.

As referenced above, the departure of Piroe is not looking likely ahead of the new season but, as Duff alluded to yesterday, he is anticipating movement before the window closes.   Leeds United and Southampton are said to be the two main interested parties although I still wonder if Nottingham Forest may come forward before the window closes.

Piroe’s desire is clearly to play in the Premier League and that will be something his representatives will be pushing for although they will not be oblivious to the wages that may be available at Elland Road and St Mary’s and, of course, both sides are anticipated to be competing at the top end of the Championship this season.

The destination for Joel Piroe very much remains one that is uncertain but the belief remains that him staying at Swansea post the end of the window is something not on the agenda.   That said, it is expected that he will play a part next weekend against Birmingham although, as said right at the start, a week is a long time in football.

And never has that been more true than this week in SA1.