We simply now have to welcome back Jamie Paterson after QPR failed bids

Russell Martin and Jamie Paterson will sit down together this week and map out a way for the player to integrate himself back into the first team squad in SA1 after a very public playing out of his current situation.

It was the story that nobody expected in the January window.   The Swans were quick, and clear, early in the month when they announced the contract extension of Paterson had been triggered early.  He then missed games against Southampton and Huddersfield, 24 hours after which it was confirmed that he had declined to play in the game due to not being in the ‘right frame of mind.’

It sparked the start of the playing out of a situation that did neither club or player any favours but it was clear that Russell Martin would happily welcome Paterson back if a move away never happened and that he knew exactly where the blame lay for the situation the player was in.

“If he leaves, we have to replace him. He’s been a big loss for us with the creativity he brings. This situation is only hurting him and us. The people who are really driving it, it’s not hurting them. It’ll be resolved in three days and I can’t wait for the window to shut,” Martin told Wales Online after the Swans 2-0 defeat at Hull on Saturday.

The comments from Martin came in the aftermath of reports that the Swans had turned down two bids from QPR for Paterson both of which were said to fall ‘well short’ of the Swans valuation of Paterson, later reported to be a £750,000 valuation.  Another bid on deadline day was met with a similar answer for the Swans and whilst there was speculation of some late interest in Jamie the window closed with him still a Swansea City player.

And this morning we now have to work with him to get him back into the side.   He wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last player to have had his head turned by representatives and talks of bigger pay days but I think now everyone – including Paterson – can see the advice was bad and he needs to move on from it.   His problem becomes if he doesn’t then any chance of that move diminishes with every passing month

Jamie Paterson has scored eight goals for the Swans this season.   In a side that struggles at the best of times for goals.   That in itself says to us we need to bring him back into the squad and, as fans, we need to put the issues of January behind us for the sake of the team.   Quite simply now we need Paterson in and around the team doing what he did well in September and October rather than kicking his heels training with the Under-23s and generally not doing much on a Saturday afternoon.   That is not good for us, him or the performances on the pitch.

The difficulty for Russell Martin will also include persuading his full squad that we should welcome Paterson back.   They will feel let down by Paterson over the past few weeks but many of them will have witnessed similar before at previous clubs and this is where the likes of the senior professionals in the squad – led by their captain – need to be clear in their own support for Paterson as we try to integrate him back in.

Russell Martin will of course feel as let down by anyone.   He talked before Christmas about how Paterson was one of the first people he thought of when he took the job here and that comes through in his comments on the situation.   I have little doubt that the boss will think Paterson owes him for the way January paid out and we can only hope that the player feels that he owes it to Martin to repay that faith.

And to us as fans.  Because this played itself out so publicly Paterson certainly owes the fans for the past few weeks.   We talked, shortly after the Huddersfield game, about disrespect and it certainly feels that way.   But the simple fact is Jamie Paterson remained a Swansea City player through the window and we need all the strength in depth we can get.   Paterson is part of that.   He owes us as much as he owes the manager and we can only hope that he repays that debt in full over the course of the coming few months (and even beyond)

Finally for Paterson it feels the right time to review those you placed your own trust in to give you the best advice.   As Martin said at the weekend “The people who are really driving it, it’s not hurting them.”  It is clear that Paterson has been on the wrong end of some very bad advice and hopefully he can be steered in a direction to get himself some better advisers next time around.   You know those who actually want the best for him and not for them.

When it is all said and done though the viewpoint does not change, we need to get Paterson back into our squad, playing him when it is right to do so and that feels like an immediate priority this week for Russell Martin.

Over to you boss.