Swansea City

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Carl Rushworth enjoyed a successful season-long loan at Swansea City this season, and his performances in goal were one of the bright spots in a bumpy campaign.

The 22-year-old was named players' player and supporters' player of the year, keeping 10 clean sheets in 46 appearances.

But he has now returned to parent club Brighton & Hove Albion - leaving a big hole to fill.

Swansea head coach Luke Williams doubts he will be able to secure Rushworth's services again because of the goalkeeper's Premier League potential.

But such is the Seagulls' strength-in-depth between the sticks that Rushworth could again be on his travels next season, having freely admitted he enjoyed his time at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Brighton's first-team keepers this year under boss Roberto De Zerbi have been Bart Verbruggen, Jason Steele and Tom McGill.

Steele has been linked with a summer move to Arsenal, which would free up one space in the senior squad, but Rushworth is not the only young keeper to have impressed on loan.

James Beadle, 19, won countless admirers during his spells at first Oxford United and then Sheffield Wednesday, with the Owls also keen for the return of their young Brighton loanee.

Dutch stopper Kjell Scherpen also impressed on loan for Sturm Graz in Austria before a knee ligament injury ended his season in December. The 24-year-old signed a new Brighton deal that month that runs until 2027 and is still clearly in De Zerbi's plans.

Repeat loan hopes of clubs eager to again bag a Brighton keeper for next season could rest on pre-season - and whether Steele stays or goes.

Verbruggen, with the Netherlands, and Canada's McGill are expected to miss the start of pre-season due to international commitments, opening up the door for Rushworth and Beadle to stake their claims.

“Beadle and Rushworth are both very good goalkeepers," De Zerbi has said.

“Maybe in pre-season we start with both because Bart will play in Europe and Tom the Copa America with Canada.

“I will have much time to analyse both (Rushworth and Beadle).”

Swans and Owls fans may find themselves keeping tabs on Brighton's pre-season form as much as any Seagulls follower, but with very different perspectives.

The hope will remain that once more, six do not go into three as De Zerbi finalises his squad numbers for the new campaign.

Even then, being made available for a loan will be just the first stage, with other clubs sure to cast covetous glances at Beadle and Rushworth in particular - Premier League new boys Ipswich Town just one name to be linked already with the Swansea favourite.

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Swansea City Under-21s will play Sheffield United Under-21s in the Professional Development League play-off semi-finals.

The tie will take place on Monday, 20 May at Bramall Lane, while Millwall will host Birmingham City in the other semi-final this Friday.

The Swans claimed a play-off spot on the final day of the regular season by beating Birmingham 1-0.

It will be a tough task for Anthony Wright's young Swans side, the South Division runners-up, against a junior Blades team who won the northern title for a fourth year in a row.

The Professional Development League is one academy tier below Premier League 2, where the 26 Category One academy clubs play, and is split into the North and South Division, with no promotion or relegation.

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One of the Swansea and Wales greats, Mel Charles, was born on this day in 1935.

Younger brother of the legendary John, the defender made 233 appearances and scored 69 goals for his hometown club.

Mel died in 2016, but he will forever be remembered for gracing the biggest stage as part of the 1958 Wales World Cup side.

When Jimmy Murphy's side travelled to Sweden and reached the quarter-finals, he was one of three Swansea players in the squad - and the first to play at a major finals while at the club.

There he was said to have been described by Pele as the best centre-half at the tournament, with Charles swapping shirts with the then 17-year-old, who broke Welsh hearts with the only goal when Brazil met Wales in the last eight.

Some 66 years on, and a month away from the opening game of Euro 2024, there will not be any players flying the Swansea flag at a major tournament this summer.

Yet there have been some notable appearances in European Championships and World Cups by players who were playing club football at Swansea.

Of course, there have been many more who have played on such a grand stage either before or after their time in south Wales, including striker Fernando Llorente, who won both the World Cup in 2010 and the 2012 Euros prior to joining Swansea in 2016.

But there have been 17 players who have been on Swansea's books while starring for their country at either a World Cup or European Championship.

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After the boys of '58 - where Charles was joined by brothers Ivor Allchurch and Len Allchurch - it was not until 2014 that a current Swansea player graced a World Cup.

There were four Swans at that year's tournament - goalkeeper Michel Vorm and midfielder Jonathan de Guzman lined up for the Netherlands team that reached the semi-finals, while striker Wilfried Bony was part of the Ivory Coast side and midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung represented South Korea.

Ki was also at the 2018 tournament in Russia, as were Swedish pair Kristoffer Nordfeldt and Martin Olsson, while Lukasz Fabianski was in the Poland squad.

At Euro 2020, Swansea defenders Connor Roberts and Ben Cabango were in Rob Page's squad - with Roberts a goalscorer against Turkey - while Cabango was joined by Joe Allen at the 2022 World Cup after the latter re-signed for his boyhood club. Midfielder Olivier Ntcham featured for Cameroon.

There had been four Swansea players at Euro 2016 - as many players as Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain had at that tournament.

Along with goalkeeper Fabianski, Gylfi Sigurdsson was a key man for Iceland while Ashley Williams and Neil Taylor were both among the goals as Wales reached the semi-finals.

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Former Swansea City boss Michael Duff has been named head coach of Huddersfield Town.

Duff, 46, had been out of work since being dismissed by Swansea last December.

He was linked with Huddersfield earlier this year and had also been mentioned as a contender to take over at former club Barnsley this summer.

The ex-Cheltenham Town manager has signed a three-year deal at Huddersfield following their relegation to League One.

Andre Breitenreiter left the Terriers by mutual consent after they went down.

Duff left Barnsley to take over at Swansea last summer, but was fired after less than six months in charge.

Swansea City head coach Luke Williams has revealed he is still in touch with Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney following the Dragons' National League title battle with Notts County in 2022-23.

Williams' Notts County side lost out to Wrexham in an epic scrap for top spot in the fifth tier.

But the Magpies then won promotion via the play-offs - with Williams receiving congratulations from Reynolds and McElhenney.

Williams told BBC Wales' Feast of Football podcast that he has wished the duo well after Wrexham sealed promotion to League One last month.

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Swansea City need to strengthen in every position this summer, according to former midfielder Owain Tudur Jones.

Boss Luke Williams has already said there is "a lot of work" to do as he prepares to overhaul his squad after a 14th-placed finish in the Championship table.

With several players now set to leave – and Williams targeting “a lot” of signings – Swansea are braced for an off-season of change.

"They need to strengthen every position," Jones told the Y Coridor Ansicrwydd podcast.

"Centre back for sure as it looks like Nathan Wood will be leaving.

"Midfield - they need fresh legs there. Even if Joe Allen stays for another season and Matt Grimes stays, they still need something fresh. Someone a bit like Flynn Downes, who came in a couple of seasons ago - someone a bit more dynamic.

"And they need options up front."

Williams expects confirmation of Swansea’s retained list to “be public knowledge very soon”, and the list of players departing could be a long one.

Kyle Naughton, Joe Allen, Jamie Paterson, Prezmyslaw Placheta and Liam Walsh are out of contract this summer as things stand, as is Nathanael Ogbeta, who has been on loan at Bolton.

Carl Rushworth, Bashir Humphreys, Harrison Ashby, Charlie Patino, Charles Sagoe Jr and Jamal Lowe have come to the end of loan spells.

Williams says Swansea want to sign plenty of new players this summer, but Jones has questioned how much transfer market control the Swansea head coach has.

"There's a big rebuild needed and the problem for Luke Williams is how much influence does he have on new signings?" Jones said.

"I take it he can identify positions he wants to target, but I think it's then down to (sporting director) Paul Watson to make the final decisions on who comes in.

"Is Paul Watson the right man to lead the club? I'm not sure."

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A Swansea City side will be part of The Soccer Tournament, a football festival taking place from 5-10 June in North Carolina.

After the competition's inaugural event last year, the 2024 edition will feature two seven-a-side competitions, one involving 48 men's teams and another featuring eight women's teams.

A $1m winner-take-all prize awaits the victorious team in each competition.

Swansea will be represented at The Soccer Tournament for the first time, with club legend and ambassador Lee Trundle captaining the 'AU Vodka Swans'.

Swansea say the squad will include a mix of local talent, small-sided specialist players and a footballing influencer.

Striker Trundle played in last year's tournament for the Wrexham Red Dragons.

Wrexham exited that tournament after a 4-3 defeat to Conrad & Beasley United in the round of 16.

The Swans and Wrexham will be joined by a number of high-profile European clubs in this year's edition, including Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Villarreal.

The tournament will also featured newly created sides, with former Premier League stars Sergio Aguero and Nani both entering teams.

The Swans have been drawn in men's group C and will face Tobacco Road FC, Socceroof and FitBodega Vancouver. Their opening games is against Socceroof on Wednesday, 5 June.

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Head coach Luke Williams says that new deals for some out of contract Swansea City players will be “public knowledge very soon”.

Joe Allen, Kyle Naughton, Jamie Paterson, Prezmyslaw Placheta and Liam Walsh are out of contract following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.

When asked if announcements about new deals could be made this week, Williams replied: “Possibly, yes”.

“Things will be public knowledge very soon”.

Williams has spoken of the “hard work” needed this summer after a 14th placed finish in the Championship table.

"We draw a line under the season now and hopefully we can build steadily for pre-season and have a good season ahead of us," added Williams.

"There’s a huge amount of work and hopefully we are already ahead of schedule.

“We have to try and bring the correct people in and strengthen and then try to make sure we have the majority of the players together for a good pre-season.

“I’m not really interested in a break to be honest, I’m not bothered because I’m a working class guy and need to work”.

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Jerry Yates and Japhet Tanganga both deserved to get sent off during Millwall's final-day Championship win at Swansea City, according to Swans head coach Luke Williams.

With five minutes left and Millwall 1-0 up, Saturday's game took an unexpectedly aggressive turn when Swansea substitute Yates and Millwall centre-back Tanganga were both shown red cards after tangling off the ball.

It was unclear what sparked the incident but, seemingly reacting to something Tanganga said, Swans striker Yates grabbed hold of the Tottenham loanee and appeared to throw a punch.

“I’ve watched the action back. He [Yates] is certainly antagonised but he reacts badly," said Williams.

"It’s unfortunate because there’s going to be a hangover for that one next season [with a suspension]. It’s a big shame really.

“I don’t want to put the blame on one of those guys because they’re both involved. They both deal with it in the wrong way. Someone can antagonise you and you can choose how you react.

"Both of them deserved to get sent off. Neither of them are innocent and none of them are solely responsible."

The result means Millwall ended the season 13th in the Championship table, their fifth straight win helping them leapfrog Swansea, who dropped to 14th.

Williams confirmed Yates had apologised to his team-mates after the game.

“Yeah, he knows he shouldn’t have done that," the former Notts County boss added.

"These boys are very competitive, very athletic and if you catch them in the wrong moment, something like this can happen.

"It’s happened many times before and he won’t be the last to do a silly action. He got emotional and reacted badly.”

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Luke Williams insists “there’s a lot riding on” Swansea City's end-of-season meeting with Millwall on Saturday.

A win would see Swansea, who have taken 10 points from their last four games, match their best run of the season.

But Neil Harris’ Millwall arrive at the Swansea.com Stadium on the back of their finest sequence of results this season, having won four straight games to pull clear of relegation danger.

Williams says his side can expect a final-day examination against “a team in brilliant form" under a manager who is "an unbelievable fit for the club”.

But the Swansea boss wants his side to end an arduous campaign on a high note.

“We have to continue to make a good feeling, try to build trust and meet the minimum expectation,” Williams said.

“If we want to try to move forward, every single game is an opportunity to do that.”

Victory would mean a 13th-place Championship finish for Swansea, who cannot catch Cardiff in 12th.

Harry Darling, Kyle Naughton, Joe Allen and Przemyslaw Placheta will miss the game through injury, while a host of players could make final appearances for the Welsh club.

Jamie Paterson and Liam Walsh are out of contract this summer as things stand, while Carl Rushworth, Bashir Humphreys, Harrison Ashby, Charlie Patino, Charles Sagoe Jr and Jamal Lowe are coming to the end of loan spells.

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Harry Darling will miss Swansea City’s final game of the season after undergoing foot surgery.

The centre-back has enjoyed a positive end to the campaign, playing his part in Swansea’s improved run of form.

But Darling, 24, will be absent when Swansea host Millwall on Saturday.

“He has been in some discomfort, but he has been playing so well and wanted to keep playing,” said Swansea boss Luke Williams.

“But in the end it was getting too much and it’s good because when he had the surgery, the surgeon confirmed that this was definitely the correctly course of action.

“He can now work over the summer and be ready for day one of pre-season.”

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Luke Williams says his out-of-contract players “know where they stand” going into Swansea City’s final game of the season against Millwall.

Joe Allen, Kyle Naughton, Jamie Paterson, Liam Walsh and Przemyslaw Placheta are all due to become free agents next month.

They could therefore be bidding farewell to the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday lunchtime, when six loan players will definitely say goodbye before returning to their parent clubs.

Discussions have been held with Allen, Naughton, Paterson, Walsh and Placheta – although some negotiations over potential new deals are ongoing.

“We are nearly there now with a lot of things,” Swansea head coach Williams said.

“Let’s concentrate on the game against Millwall and then plenty of things are going to be released to everybody to understand.

“We have one or two who are still negotiating, but everyone knows where they stand and that’s the key thing.”

Of the loan players, Swansea look unlikely to make moves to re-sign Harrison Ashby, Charlie Patino, Charles Sagoe Jr or Bashir Humphreys given that they have struggled for game-time this season.

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But Williams is an admirer of forward Jamal Lowe, who has scored 10 goals during his year-long loan from Bournemouth, and goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, a star performer since arriving on a season-long deal from Brighton.

“At the moment the guys will be returning to their clubs and potentially, somewhere down the line, we may see one or two of those guys again,” Williams said.

Williams suggested last month that a second loan move for Rushworth looked unlikely, but he now says there is still “hope” that the England Under-21 international could return.

“He has had a brilliant time here - you can never underestimate being loved by a football club,” Williams said.

“You can feel incredible, like the best player in the world, and then you go to another club and think you wished you’d stayed where you were.”

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Carl Rushworth is backing Swansea City to mount a play-off push under Luke Williams next season.

Rushworth will return to parent-club Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend after a successful season-long loan in Wales.

The 22-year-old says is it not inconceivable that he will return to Swansea next season, although a second loan has been deemed unlikely by Williams because of Rushworth’s Premier League potential.

But regardless of whether he will be involved, Rushworth is convinced Swansea will enjoy a better year in 2024-25.

The Swans have been left looking nervously towards the Championship relegation zone for much of this campaign, though a late-season upturn in form under Williams – who took charge in early January – means they are destined for a mid-table finish.

“As soon as the gaffer came in, and the more time he spent with us, the more we were improving,” said Rushworth, who was named players' player and supporters' player of the year at Swansea's end-of-season awards.

“Swansea can attack the new season. It’s going to be a very exciting season next year.”

Rushworth is set for the last appearance of his loan spell when Swansea host Millwall in their final match of the season on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Swansea are 13th in the table having taken 10 points from their last four games.

“You can see now the results are starting to go our way,” Rushworth added.

“The gaffer is top. The lads have the ability and with the gaffer in from the start next season, it will be a play-off push.”