Swansea City

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Wales defender Joe Rodon will be hoping the Swansea City connection proves key at Wembley this weekend as Leeds United bid for an instant return to the Premier League.

Leeds will be back in the top flight at the first attempt if they beat a Southampton side managed by former Swans boss Russell Martin.

Four former Swansea players are expected to be in United's squad for Sunday's Championship play-off final - Rodon, Dan James, Joel Piroe and Connor Roberts.

Piroe, who swapped the Swansea.com Stadium for Elland Road last summer, scored his 16th goal of the campaign in the decisive 4-0 win over Norwich in the second leg of the play-off semi final.

Wales stars Roberts - who is on loan from Burnley - and James came off the bench in that game, while defender Rodon started alongside another international team-mate, Ethan Ampadu.

It is a strong Welsh connection that could prove pivotal against Martin's Saints side, who are also hoping to bounce straight back to the Premier League.

"It's a massive occasion,” Rodon said on Leeds United TV.

“We are just delighted to give everything, especially something to look forward to for the whole club, for everyone involved."

Rodon was at boyhood club Swansea when they made the Championship play-off semi finals in 2020, before getting a big-money move to Tottenham Hotspur later that year.

Since then he has only made 24 appearances for Spurs, spending time on loan at Rennes in France before signing up for a season-long stay at Leeds.

Sunday's game will be Rodon's 50th appearance for United - and the outcome could determine whether he joins Leeds on a permanent basis.

Either way, there is plenty of speculation he will leave Spurs this summer, having not made an appearance for them since May 2022.

For now, though, he is concentrating on getting Leeds back into the big time.

"We are going to be focused this whole week now and we are going to give everything and hopefully try and get over the line," he said.

Martin, of course, has other ideas. He is 90 minutes from managing in the Premier League for the first time after leaving Swansea last summer, with Wales' David Brooks among his forward options for the Wembley final.

"It would be the biggest achievement of my life outside being a father," he told Sky Sports News.

"The dream is to put this team out on to the biggest stage every week - to show how brave and good they can be. We're one game away from doing that.

"I'm really proud. The responsibility of leading this club is big anyway, and then to do it at Wembley is huge."

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Luke Williams says there is a “need to be present” as he looks to improve Swansea City’s squad during the summer transfer window.

Williams is in his first close-season break as Swansea’s head coach having taken charge at the Championship club in January.

He has ruled out the idea of going away on holiday because he does not want to “miss any opportunity” to bolster Swansea’s squad.

“I’d be irresponsible if I did anything other than the maximum to try to be a good head coach for Swansea,” Williams told BBC Sport Wales.

“It’s too much of a privilege for me to be sitting in the sun. I have a garden. Maybe a couple of afternoons I can sit there with a cold beer.”

Swansea are aiming to strengthen every department of their squad in the coming months.

The Welsh side said goodbye to six loan players at the end of 2023-24 and announced that Liam Walsh, Nathanael Ogbeta and Przemyslaw Placheta will be leaving when their contracts expire next month.

Jamie Paterson may also depart, although talks over a new deal are continuing with the attacking midfielder.

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While Swansea have a recruitment department led by Paul Watson, Williams will have a significant role to play in the addition of new signings.

“If there are players to watch, I will be jumping on a plane or going wherever I need to go,” he said.

“If that player wants to meet me and wants me to convince them, I need to be there, not at the pool bar.

“It’s a huge deal for a player to pick a club, so if they feel this club or this manager really wants me, that often is the thing that swings the decision. So I need to be present.”

Williams says he will also be a regular visitor to Swansea’s Fairwood training ground during the close season, with staff on duty there three times a week.

“They are going to tell me one or two things that they won’t tell me if I am not there,” he added.

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Swansea City's end-of-season retained list has to be lodged with the EFL this weekend, meaning there could soon be news on the futures of their six out-of-contract players.

Joe Allen, Kyle Naughton, Liam Walsh, Jamie Paterson and Przemyslaw Placheta all see their current deals expire this summer, as does fringe left-back Nathanael Ogbeta, who is on loan at Bolton Wanderers.

Luke Williams is keen to ensure there is some experience in his squad next season, with 34-year-old Allen, Naughton, 35, and Paterson, 32, all offering plenty of Championship know-how.

Swansea’s head coach has also praised the impact of Placheta since his January move from Norwich City, although he has also expressed some concern over the winger’s injury record.

Walsh is another player who Williams admires, but whose fitness issues will be a worry.

The midfielder has managed only 34 Swansea appearances – including just 10 league starts – since joining from Bristol City in 2021, thanks largely to a succession of injury problems.

Ogbeta, 22, has made only three Swansea appearances since joining from Shrewsbury Town in January 2022.

He has played 16 times since joining Bolton on loan in January and could play a part in the League One play-off final against Oxford United on Saturday, though he was an unused substitute in the two semi-final games against Barnsley.

All EFL clubs must send their retained lists to the EFL by the third Saturday in May – which comes this weekend.

That could mean concrete news on Allen and everybody else is imminent - although it may well be that contract negotiations continue after the deadline.

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The Swans might not be in this year's Championship play-offs, but a famous night secured their place at Wembley on this day in 2011.

A euphoric Liberty Stadium hosted the second leg of a semi-final tie with Nottingham Forest.

After a goalless encounter at the City Ground four days earlier, the scene was set for a special night in south Wales.

Club legend Leon Britton curled the Swans in front after 28 minutes.

Five minutes later the lead was doubled when Stephen Dobbie's driven effort beat Lee Camp in the Forest goal.

Former Cardiff City and Wales striker Robert Earnshaw pulled a goal back for Forest and set up a nervy last 10 minutes.

The visitors pushed for an equaliser and came close when Earnshaw was denied a second only by the post.

With one last roll of the dice, Camp went up for an injury-time corner, but Swansea cleared and broke to score the clinching goal and send the home crowd into ecstasy.

Darren Pratley raced clear to shoot into an empty net from just inside his own half and seal a 3-1 victory.

It was a moment and night that will live long in the memory of any Swansea fan.

Pratley left the Swans following the play-off final, choosing to sign for then Premier League side Bolton Wanderers.

The now 39-year-old is still going strong after signing a new deal at current club Leyton Orient this week.

Pratley joined the O's during the summer of 2021 and managed 37 appearances for the League One side this season, having helped the club win promotion the previous year.

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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”.