Brendan – Swansea Is The Right Place For Players

Brendan Rodgers says he has no worries or concerns with the transfer window about to open – he thinks Swansea is the right place for players

Rodgers told the Western Mail “I have to be honest, I have no concerns whatsoever

“I am relaxed, all the players here understand that this is a real good fit for them. We are a team really riding high on confidence, we are a group that has grown.

“For the likes of a Joe Allen, he will look at himself and know there are not too many better places he could be in European football to develop his game.

“Joe is coming off his first season playing regularly in the Championship, and he is now a key figure in a team that suits his style perfectly.

“Joe is going to be a big talent, but I have no concerns, he is an intelligent lad who understands where he is at in his career and at 21 he has got 12-13 years left ahead of him.

“Our good players could play in any team, but everything in life is about timing, it’s very important and the players are really enjoying it here.

“He was a real positive influence on my career. He was a young manager with the first team and he could see I was a manager who was a bit different and asked the players to play a certain way.

“He could easily have put me on a different pathway, but he enjoyed what I was doing and we would exchange ideas quite a lot. He allowed me to be creative.

“Alan’s a Premier League manager, no doubt, he’s very astute in his work and he’s taken on a big job there.

“It’s a high-profile job, football is their life up there and he has pulled the squad together.

“He’s moulded them into a real team that’s very well organised and working for each other.”

Rodgers is also looking to try and conclude a deal for Rory Donnelly despite reported interest from Everton and he added

“I spoke to the people at Cliftonville at length and they understand that Swansea are making waves and they understand it could be a great club for a young player’s development.

“Over the next couple of days hopefully we can get something organised and, more importantly, get him across to see the city and club and give him a real feel for Swansea.

“He will come here with no pressure, the first six months will be all about adapting to professional football.

“The impact he makes will ultimately be down to him, although you do get guys like Kevin Doyle, who came over from Cork and went straight in at Reading and made a big impact.”