Swansea City

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Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik has been included in Slovenia's squad for their opening two 2024-25 Nations League matches.

Slovenia - who reached the last-16 of Euro 2024 - face Austria on Friday, 6 September before taking on Kazakhstan three days later.

Forward Vipotnik, 22, joined the Swans on a four-year contract earlier this summer following the mutual termination of his contract with Bordeaux.

He has featured in all five of Swansea's matches so far this season, scoring his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win over Preston North End.

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Swansea City boss Luke Williams feels West Bromwich Albion head coach Carlos Corberan is destined to manage in the Premier League.

The Swans travel to The Hawthorns on Saturday as they go in search of a second Championship win of the season.

They come up against a Baggies side who reached the play-offs under Spanish boss Corberan last season, but Williams says his first team regulars can give West Brom a run for their money after a much-changed side were beaten 1-0 by Wycombe Wanderers in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

"It's going to be an incredibly tough game because they’re a very good side and I think they have a top manager who is going to be a Premier League manager in the near future," said Williams.

"It’s going to be a huge test for us. We're up for that and we're not shying away from the challenge.

"I expect us to make a really good performance away at West Brom."

Swansea will be without Andy Fisher, Sam Parker, Aimar Govea and Josh Ginnelly for the trip to the West Midlands.

Discussing the injured players, Williams said: "I don’t know exactly how long it’s going to take them to get up to full speed but they all seem to be progressing in the right way."

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Luke Williams says contract talks with Swansea City players including Ben Cabango, Harry Darling and Liam Cullen remain "ongoing".

The trio are all out of contract next summer, while experienced duo Kyle Naughton and Joe Allen both see their deals expire following the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign.

"I think that’s something that is ongoing. Each of those players (Cabango, Darling and Cullen) have got different set of circumstances," said Williams.

It comes amid reports claiming Championship rivals Bristol City are eyeing a move for Swans centre-back Darling.

The 25-year-old played under current Robins' boss Liam Manning during their time at MK Dons, and while Williams admits he's not surprised to see Darling linked with other clubs, the Swansea head coach says he is unaware of any approach for the defender.

"I'm not shocked to hear a previous manager that he's worked with, and such a good player, and has now become an experienced and established Championship player, I'm not surprised to hear there's some speculation at least," said Williams.

The Swans were boosted by the news that versatile right midfielder Sam Parker has signed a new deal with the club.

Parker has signed to remain with Swansea until the summer of 2028.

"It’s great news," Williams said of Parker's new deal.

"He’s got a bit of time now to really nail down his game and try to force himself into the first team."

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Sam Parker has signed a new long-term contract with Swansea City.

The 18-year-old's previous deal was due to expire in the summer of 2026, and the right-sided midfielder was linked with clubs including Burnley, PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig earlier this year.

However, the academy product has signed a new deal to remain with the Swans until 2028.

"It feels amazing to secure my future at this club, especially because I've been here since I was very young," said Parker.

"I want to thank everyone who I've worked with throughout my time here, who have helped me get to where I am now.

"I especially want to thank my family, who have sacrificed a lot to take me to training throughout the years."

Parker, who can also play right-back or as a winger, made his senior bow for Swansea in a 2-2 draw at Coventry City in December last year.

He went on to feature against Morecambe and Birmingham City under head coach Luke Williams but missed the remainder of the 2023-24 season due to a hamstring injury.

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Swansea City 3-1 Cardiff City. No, you haven't missed a south Wales derby - that's the number of Swans in Craig Bellamy's first Wales squad compared to their arch rivals.

Defender Ben Cabango and Swansea team-mates Liam Cullen and Ollie Cooper are included with the Bluebirds' Aaron Ramsey staying as captain for the Nations League fixtures against Turkey in Cardiff on Friday, 6 September and in Montenegro three days later.

Mdfielder Cooper is back after more than a year amid good early-season form in the Championship. He was out of favour in the latter days of former boss Robert Page's reign.

Striker Cullen keeps his place following his goal in Swansea's 1-1 derby draw against the Bluebirds last Sunday as a new era begins for the national team.

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Kristian Pedersen’s Swansea City future could come under the spotlight before the transfer window closes on Friday.

The defender left Swansea on loan before the last transfer deadline, in February, having struggled for game time at the Welsh club following his move from FC Koln in the summer of 2023.

And though Pedersen has been involved in all four of Swansea’s matchday squads so far this season – and played in the EFL Cup win over Gillingham – head coach Luke Williams says he will speak to the Denmark international following the signing of Nelson Abbey.

“I think there’s a conversation now with Kristian,” the Swansea head coach said.

“But I have been really happy with the way he has applied himself – he has been really top, excellent.

“He has made an appearance and I thought he did really well, but potentially things will change. We’ll have to have a conversation about that.”

Former Birmingham City player Pedersen, 30, arrived in Wales in September 2023, when Michael Duff was Swansea boss.

But he was allowed to move to Hillsborough having made only three league starts in the first half of last season.

Pedersen has come back into the fold in the early stages of this campaign, but it appears Williams will consider allowing him to move on once again following Abbey's signing.

The 20-year-old joined Swansea on a season-long loan from Olympiakos last week.

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New recruits Nelson Abbey and Florian Bianchini are expected to make Swansea City debuts in Wednesday’s EFL Cup second-round tie against Wycombe Wanderers (19:45 BST).

Centre-back Abbey, 20, and winger Bianchini, 23, were unused substitutes in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Cardiff City.

The duo had taken part in only one Swansea training session before the south Wales derby.

But Luke Williams says it is “fair to say” the duo will feature against League One Wycombe at the Swansea.com Stadium.

“How much they will be involved I don’t know because we still need to see where they are at because we haven’t had a lot of time to work with them,” the Swansea head coach said.

Williams gave the likes of Kristian Pedersen, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Kyle Naughton and Zan Vipotnik starts as Swansea beat Gillingham 3-1 in round one of the EFL Cup this month.

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Josh Key feels the contrasting emotions of Swansea City and Cardiff City's players following the 1-1 draw between the sides typifies the lofty aims of Luke Williams' team.

The Swans led the derby encounter through Liam Cullen's early strike and dominated the opening half at the Swansea.com Stadium.

But Erol Bulut's men improved in the second-half and claimed a point courtesy of substitute Callum Robinson's goal in the 79th minute.

"The lads set the standard doing the double a couple of years ago," Key said on the Feast of Football podcast.

"Obviously it meant a lot to [Cardiff] that they drew the game, I think it says a lot about us.

"We allowed them to have momentum in the second-half, and that's what cost us.

"It showed the disappointment today that we didn't win. I know we got a point, but for us that's not good enough."

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Charlie Patino has left Arsenal for Deportivo de La Coruna having spent last season on loan at Swansea City.

Midfielder Patino, 20, scored four goals in 35 appearances during his year-long spell in Wales, though he managed only 14 Championship starts.

The Arsenal academy product has now left the Gunners on a permanent basis to try his luck in the Spanish second tier.

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Lawrence Vigouroux has been recalled to the Chile squad on the back of his early-season form at Swansea City.

Vigouroux, 30, has represented Chile at under-20 level but is yet to win a senior cap.

He is playing Championship football for the first time having joined Swansea from Burnley in the summer.

Chile face World Cup qualifying games against Argentina on 6 September and meet Bolivia four days later.

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Swansea City will be "bitterly disappointed" not to have beaten rivals Cardiff City in the first south Wales derby of the 2024-25 season, says former Wales striker Iwan Roberts.

Liam Cullen fired the hosts ahead after 10 minutes at the Swansea.com Stadium on Sunday, only for Callum Robinson's 79th-minute equaliser to ensure the game ended 1-1.

The Swans dominated the majority of the opening half before Erol Bulut's men improved after the restart, thanks in part to the Cardiff manager's substitutions.

And Roberts feels Luke Williams' side will rue their inability to kill off the contest by scoring a second goal.

"I think Swansea will be bitterly disappointed that they didn't win the game. I thought they dominated the first half," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"Swansea got that early goal - Liam Cullen is making a good habit of scoring against Cardiff. They just didn't capitalise on the good start that they made.

"They didn't really look like scoring that second goal. Ethan Horvath didn't really have too much to do in the rest of that first half."

Roberts added: "All in all, I think it was a better point for Cardiff than it was for Swansea."

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Eom Ji-Sung has been named in the South Korea squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Palestine and Oman.

Eom, 22, joined Swansea City from South Korean club Gwangju this summer.

The attacking midfielder has featured in all four Swansea games so far this season.

His contribution has seen Eom called up by his country at senior level for the first time in two years.

South Korea meet Palestine on 5 September before taking on Oman five days later.

Swansea return to action after the season’s first international break when they host Norwich City on 14 September.

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Luke Williams says he expects further movement at Swansea City in the final stages of the summer transfer window.

The Swans have brought in goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, striker Zan Vipotnik, attacking midfielder Eom Ji-Sung, midfielder Goncalo Franco, defender Nelson Abbey and winger Florian Bianchini this summer.

Swansea remain in the market for an additional goalkeeper after Andy Fisher underwent groin surgery - with Williams' men working on a loan deal for DC United's Tyler Miller.

"We're closing in on a goalkeeper, but I can't really say anything more on that at the moment," said Williams.

And the Swansea head coach admitted there could be further ins and outs from the club prior to Friday's transfer deadline (23:00 BST).

"Yes, I think so," responded Williams when asked if there will be more deals done by the club.

"I think we're probably close to being done, but I think there still will be some movement."

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

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There was an unfamiliar feeling at the end of Sunday’s south Wales derby, with the points shared after Callum Robinson’s late goal cancelled out Liam Cullen’s early opener.

Robinson’s calm finish meant a first draw in this fixture since the stalemate between Neil Harris’ Bluebirds and Steve Cooper’s Swansea side in January 2020.

It was just the second draw in the past 17 meetings of south Wales’ heavyweight clubs, yet for Cardiff it felt more like a victory.

In the Swansea dressing room, head coach Luke Williams revealed, the mood suggested his team had been beaten.

That is because Swansea were at home, because they led for 69 minutes and because they looked capable of extending their advantage during a first half they controlled.

It is also because Swansea have become used to having it their way in this fixture.

This was only the fourth time in the last dozen south Wales derbies, after all, that Cardiff have avoided defeat.

Swansea looked a decent side for much of the first half, with Goncalo Franco their standout player courtesy of his energy, nous and technical quality in midfield.

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But five second-half changes – with Franco among those replaced, thanks in part to a shoulder issue – saw Swansea surrender momentum to a Cardiff side who, in contrast, benefited as a result of their substitutions.

Perhaps that says something about Swansea’s squad, which continues to look a little short on options despite the arrivals this week of Nelson Abbey and Florian Bianchini.

Williams was left to acknowledge that Cardiff were worthy of their point.

His Swansea side can now switch their focus to a midweek League Cup tie against Wycombe, while hoping the club’s hierarchy can deliver further reinforcements before the transfer window closes next Friday.

Then come 23 Championship games, starting at West Bromwich Albion next Saturday, before south Wales holds its breath for Swansea's next collision with Cardiff in mid-January.