The January 2026 Transfer Window Thread

[theallseeingdai]

We’re grafting hard to sign him, 36 year old free agent Joel Ward.

It's on the beeb so must be true....

Joel Ward: Swansea City close to signing former Crystal Palace captain

Joel Ward has been without a club since ending a 13-year spell at Selhurst Park last summer.

www.bbc.com

 

[SwanseaBoy123]

What a waste of time , probably take 6 weeks to get him match fit .
Look how poor Cyrus Christie was last season.

We gotta hope Key gets back to an acceptable level of performances and he can slot back into rb then.

 

[sit_down_jack]

It's on the beeb so must be true....

Joel Ward: Swansea City close to signing former Crystal Palace captain

Joel Ward has been without a club since ending a 13-year spell at Selhurst Park last summer.

www.bbc.com

I don’t understand this one, I thought whatever right back we brought in would be a starter so Galbraith could move back into midfield, it’s clear that Key is only seen as a rotation option now going by the past 9 games. It could be that Key’s injury is that bad that we need two right backs, one as a starter and Ward as the back up?

 

[bakajack]

Unless we are sending Parker out on loan for the second half of the season I fail to see what value this bit of business has for us.

 

[Londonlisa2001]

It’s hard to imagine a better fit for a high energy pressing game than a 36 year old player who hasn’t had a club for 6 months and played twice in the year before that!

The only possible reason I can see for bringing him in is to allow us to play three at the back. Even then I don’t see why we’d ever play him instead of Casey, but perhaps he’d be back up for that formation rather than Santos.

And that takes nothing away from his career. He was an excellent player for Palace.

 

[magicdaps10]

It ticks a lot of boxes but I agree with most that it's a strange signing. I believe he will be a back up RB and will act as 4th choice CB.
I still think that we might see a RB aswell a winger coming in this month.

 

[Londonlisa2001]

It ticks a lot of boxes but I agree with most that it's a strange signing. I believe he will be a back up RB and will act as 4th choice CB.
I still think that we might see a RB aswell a winger coming in this month.

It doesn’t tick any boxes. Don’t be ridiculous.

 

[magicdaps10]

It doesn’t tick any boxes. Don’t be ridiculous.

Experience
Affordable
Can play RB
Can play CB
Happy to come in and not be a first team starter

There is certainly a lot that can be questioned with the signing but it certainly covers things that the club are looking or have looked at.

 

[Birchgrovejack]

Cyrus Christie was those things last season

 

[malc]

Seb Darbroski Swans under 21 left back is joining the Bluebirds on loan for the rest of the season .
No not those Bluebirds , Chippenham town .

 

[SwanseaBoy123]

Cyrus Christie was those things last season

Same as Santos this summer and Bolasie the year before that. There's not a single justification for this signing.

 

[magicdaps10]

Cyrus Christie was those things last season

I have said that I don't think it makes sense personally but we have very little budget to play with.
We went big in summer because we wanted to create a squad that could compete, it's not really come to fruition and the one area that we didn't really cover and thought that Galbraith would be the fall back is the position that has been our weak spot. We have been caught out and now don't have the finances to get it sorted long term in this window.
I expect a few loans out and maybe 1/2 loan incomings.

 

[magicdaps10]

Same as Santos this summer and Bolasie the year before that. There's not a single justification for this signing.

Santos was brought in to be the 4th choice CB and experience in the squad. On that basis that is why I feel Ward is coming in to replace Santos for the rest of the season and being able to cover RB is an added bonus.

 

[sit_down_jack]

Bottom line is, bringing a 36 year old in for 6 months means that we don’t have adequate cover in the RB position and we didn’t in the summer either. If we don’t have enough experienced heads in the squad then perhaps we should have factored that in with all the players we brought in during the last window.

I’m not criticising them for spending, I’m very grateful to have seemingly increased our ambition under these owners, however, it doesn’t really seem like they are following much of a plan with recruitment other than the vague idea of buy young potential to develop and sell.

 

[Londonlisa2001]

Experience
Affordable
Can play RB
Can play CB
Happy to come in and not be a first team starter

There is certainly a lot that can be questioned with the signing but it certainly covers things that the club are looking or have looked at.

He has played twice in 18 months!

And why do you think he’ll be particularly affordable? After years in the premier league I can’t see why he’d bother travelling to Swansea from his home in London unless we’re paying him something more than peanuts.

It’s the sort of signing everyone would be madly criticising if it was Wrexham. It’s ludicrous.

We’d be far better playing Parker and developing him for the future.

Either this is a season for transitioning to the future or it’s not.

we should pick up enough points to stay up so we need to be looking forward.

Were short up front as well. Perhaps your namesake could sign up.