Phil SumblerMichael Duff was clearly a happy man when he talked to the press after last night’s 3-0 win over Northampton at the Swansea.com Stadium and that mood could be about to become better if Joel Piroe were to extend his stay in SA1.
The striker has looked to be a certain departure from the Swansea.com Stadium all summer with transfer links to Everton, Nottingham Forest, Leicester and Southampton in this country as well as Atalanta in Italy.
Despite all that interest (and speculation) there has been no firm bids for the Swans striker though and that has opened the door for talks between the Swans and the player over potentially extending his stay in SA1.
The player, it was reported, was happy to run down his contract and leave for a free next summer but that was simply not an option for the club who could never afford to let him leave for nothing next summer when there could potentially be a several million pound deal in the offing this summer.
The clubs that are circulating would have known that as well and no doubt would have been hoping to pick up Piroe for far less than his market value in the closing stages of the window but it is now believed that the representatives of Piroe are more than willing to consider a new deal in SA1.
Discussions over that new deal are still in the early stages and does not change the ambition of Piroe to play at a higher level. What though it achieves is that it would earn him a better deal to stay at the club and from the club’s perspective it puts us in a position where we can ensure that any move away will deliver a fair market value with a longer term contract.
Piroe opened his account for the new season last night when he scored twice in the Carabao Cup first round win over Northampton and he is fast closing in on the fifty goal mark for the Swans in just over two seasons at the club. Another season where he returns more than twenty goals will see interest increase in the player but similarly that kind of return is likely to see the Swans in the higher end of the Championship table and who is to say at that stage that we could not deliver his ambition without the need to move away from an area in which he is settled.
In a very similar vein as we saw with Matt Grimes two years ago when he looked set for a move away we could be set for a repeat with Piroe under a change in manager. Two year back it was the appointment of Russell Martin that appeared to change the mind of the Swansea captain, this time around it will be a mixture but don’t underplay the role of the manager in being able to make this happen.
Speaking last night that manager himself said I know the club are talking to Joel
“I don’t know where it’s at – he has not said no, he has not said yes, and we have not had a bid.
“Until the club receive a bid, there is no question to be answered.
“We could probably save everybody a bit of time after every game by just not talking about it. Until it happens, it’s a pointless conversation.
“Until he goes… his attitude has been great,” Duff added.
“I say until he goes, he might not go. He is a good player and he helps the way we want to play. He sort of dictates the way we want to play because of the movements he makes.
“The one thing everyone is looking for in football is goals and it is the most expensive thing.
“He is a prized asset. If someone is willing to pay the right price then I am sure he will go, but these are decisions which are taken out of my hands.”
The Swans position will be strengthened by the departure of Olivier Ntcham who has freed up a significant amount on the weekly wage bill and Duff also confirmed he hopes to seal another loan deal by the weekend where the Swans visit West Brom.
However, for all the transfer activity in SA1 this summer so far it could end up being an extended contract that proves to be the most significant signing. We wait and see.
Things are coming together nicely .Akey piece of the jigsaw would be Piroe staying.Hard to replace his amount of goals.
I think the club are playing a bit of cat and mouse, in that they are talking about a new contract for Piroe, to spur on any interested parties into making a bid sooner rather than later. Piroe seems to be doing all he can to get away by scoring 2 more goals last night, and this should help keep his price up.
I can’t see him being here after this transfer window to be honest.
Agreed with the Piroe situation , but last night Ollie and Liam Cullen showed what they can do with their Piroe support along with the new signings beginning to show why the club bought them.Also,Abdulai is proving his worth and once again the goalie looked good
Regarding the title to the article, I hope so. Why sell to your rivals?
Joel will easily score an average of 20 goals a season at this level. He was frozen out early in his arrival so any statics should give him another 6 games.
Always fit and available regardless of the outside attention, very rare in such a young player.
He has such great feet he plays ‘in my opinion’ better than Andre Ayew post his return from West ham and knows where the net is.
The longer he is around this team the more others can learn.
Swansea are trying to build a better team around him. The investment and activity this summer will scare off the vultures. So, until a serious bid comes in he should stay.