Can the Swans secure an agreement for second loan with Brighton?

There is little doubt that Carl Rushworth was one of the highlights of a pretty dismal season in SA1.   Clean sheets and a host of great saves were more than enough to give the on-loan goalkeeper a triple win in last week’s awards dinner but with the season is now over the next move for Rushworth is not clear.

Luke Williams has already said that he would like to see the goalkeeper back in SA1 next season and even Rushworth himself has hinted that this could be a possibility.   There is a certainty in the summer that the Swans will be in the market for a new goalkeeper ahead of the new season and Rushworth’s name will certainly be at the top of that.

The rumour mill suggests that second choice Andy Fisher has been told that he certainly will not be that number one keeper next season and news like that will surely suggest that a departure for him is likely during the summer as he will want more regular first team football.

The work on the summer window has, of course, long since started and there have been talks between the Swans and Brighton around Rushworth but that is no real surprise as the Seagulls have been keen to monitor his process in all his loans over the past three seasons.

First team football at the Amex Stadium seems unlikely though so another loan move away from the club seems likely and the way that he settled into Swansea will put us relatively high up the list of potential suitors for a keeper who has been linked with the England Euro 2024 squads.

Rushworth speaks highly of his time in SA1 as he explained his reasons for coming in the first place “One of the things I looked into about Swansea when I first came here was their style of play. It was as close to Brighton as I could get,” he said.

“Everything to do with the players, the people and the backroom all coincides with Brighton so I feel it has been the perfect loan for me, especially now under the new gaffer bringing back that philosophy and playing out from the back using me as the spare man.

“I feel the appreciation of the fans.  My family come to a lot of my games and have spoken to them, and they have taken me under their wings.

“It’s really pleasing. The [Fans’ Player of the Year] award is just the cherry on the top.

“It is such a family-orientated club and I’ve loved having that backing from the fans from day one as well as from everybody here at the club. They all want me to do well and that has been so positive for me.

“Now we are at the end of the season, I will sit back and see how the season went. I will take a breath, relax and then I will have the conversations as to what the plan will be.

“At the moment, I don’t know where I will be – whether I will be at Brighton or anywhere else. I might even be here – you never know with football, that is the beauty of it.”