Was Pato dropping a hint that he is staying in SA1?

Jamie Paterson was a man who knew he was likely to be opening speculation when he told his Instagram followers the other day that there was “Not long now till the madness starts again” – posted alongside a picture of him in action for the Swans it was only natural that people would start to wonder if he was signing the contract on offer.

Paterson has effectively been a free agent since his contract expired at the end of last season and whilst both he and the Swans were talking last season about wanting to extend the deal there was no sign, at the time of expiry, of the two parties reaching agreement over what was required.

It was widely speculated (and reported) that the difference between the two parties was the length of the contract required with the player seemingly wanting a two year deal but the club looking rigid on their view that a one year term would have been enough.   The suggestions were that the year was accompanied by an option to extend for a further year but there was a sign of stalemate.

Now we have a position where it seems almost certain that Paterson is dropping hints that he could be set for an extended stay and that surely has to be good news for the Swans?   Pato’s form last season was one of the higher points of a largely disappointing campaign and we know that he can turn a match in our favour when he is on the top of the game.   The flip side to that is the inconsistent nature of his performances make for much frustration as a fan but a new deal which is likely to be one that will not break the bank is not a bad thing and keeps a good player within the squad.   With the seeming impending arrival of winger Eom Ji-sung the Swans will have different options to Pato but competition for places is always a good thing.

Just over two weeks ago Luke Williams talked about the position with Paterson and told BBC Sport “He has got a few different things to weigh up and he has earned that.

“He is a proven Championship player. He is very popular and very well known in football – the qualities he has as a person and as a footballer. The ball has kind of been hit over the net [into his court] so we will see what happens.

“It won’t be there indefinitely because potentially players will arrive at the club and the landscape will change,  but Pato knows exactly what he is doing and we are happy with everything at the moment.

“He is now a senior player, they have a different outlook on life and they have earned the right to have more choices in their life.

“I don’t know, but if I had to guess, he will have been in contact with different people [at other clubs], or through his agent, because he has been playing Championship football for a number of seasons and doing it pretty well.

“We will see in the coming weeks what the decision is.”

And if the Instagram post is anything to go by, that decision will be confirmed very shortly.