Phil Sumbler
It has already been a busy transfer window at Swansea City but things are set to hot up even more this week with speculation growing on both incomings and outgoings within the team.
That news and speculation has intensified this week with Tuesday’s reports saying that Southampton were in for Nathan Wood and yesterday all the press was around Leeds United and Joel Piroe. Both are stories that have mileage in them and it was to be expected that this kind of speculation and moves were to happen in the closing stages of the transfer window.
The club have openly advertised in recent years that they operate on a player trading model – Russell Martin often referenced it in his interviews on many occasions – and this will not be lost on clubs in the structure we play in let alone those clubs where there is a heavy former Swansea presence. And certainly not in those where there is a former Swansea City manager.
The move for Wood appears to be something that will certainly result in the defender leaving SA1 during the course of the next week (will Saturday’s team selection be telling on this front?) and the Swans are already said to be lining up potential replacements with at least two more names beyond Bashir Humphreys already under discussion.
It has widely been expected for most of the summer that interest in Piroe would materialise and there is a clear desire to keep his name at the top of the transfer links. The Leeds story clearly has some mileage in it and Southampton are also said to still be closely watching the next moves regards the forward. Likewise with Wood, the Swans have their eye on potential replacements should the player leave and yesterday we speculated on the names of both Kienan Davis and Tom Cannon as potential replacements given both have been linked before.
Rob has already reported this morning on the press reports that see Miguel Baeza linked with the Swans and Michael Duff talked last week about how he needed two or three new players at the club and that was before any potential departures.
Similar questions will no doubt be on the agenda for the Swans boss today as he conducts his weekly press conference ahead of the weekend game at Preston and there is little doubt that whilst his focus will be on that game, activity elsewhere in the club will very much be on the window which closes in just over a week’s time.
Should both Wood and Piroe depart then the Swans are expected to move relatively quickly for replacements (given the short period remaining that is no secret as we don’t have much choice) and the club are keen to either get both deals over the line by the early stages of next week at the latest to give them time to ensure that they can complete those replacing deals.
It has always been the case that the last week of the window creates these kind of situations. Teams are a few games into the new season and see where their potential deficiencies lie and make moves to close the gaps that they have identified. They also know that in some instances they can test the resolve of the selling club with potential lower bids than expected – Leeds and Piroe appears to be a classic example of this. And we have seen many examples in recent years of deals being done at figures that are lower than many would have anticipated.
On that Piroe subject again Leeds appear to be at the head of the queue at the moment to land his services but never get totally drawn into believing this is the only option on the table it is just the one that has likely provoked what will be more speculation, more links and more possibilities. Many of which have already been suggested.
It is definitely time to buckle in, see what happens next and know that the end of the window is in sight.
Anybody got a crystal ball?
Yanks out, get the losers out!!! All for profit and by cheap. No vision whatsoever. Let’s hope Duff knows what he’s doing.
Well Piroe has now gone to Leeds for a fee of €14m less the sell on clause to PSV Eindhoven and most of us are not surprised given the commitment to the club by the yanks. Wood to Southampton seems to being pushed by someone like the Spurs/Arsenal interest rumour last season – if he goes I for one won’t shed any tears but worry about the replacements the transfer identifier (whoever he is) brings in on the cheap.