Swansea City

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Former midfielder Owain Tudur Jones says concern over Swansea City’s Championship status is inevitable given the club’s poor form.

Swansea are five points clear of the relegation zone having won only once in their last seven league games.

They go to sixth-placed Hull City on Saturday before further testing fixtures against Leeds United, Ipswich Town and Sunderland.

Ex-Swan Andy Robinson said last weekend that his old club were “falling towards a relegation battle”.

Fellow BBC Sport Wales pundit Jones says head coach Luke Williams must find a way to win having taken one point from his first four league games in charge.

Speaking on this week’s Y Coridor Ansicrwydd, Jones said: “We have to be concerned. You’d be lying if you said they’re going to be fine given their current run of form.

“Luke Williams needs that first win in the league, for his own confidence not just for the players’ [confidence].

“It’s not great. They’ve just lost at home to Plymouth, who hadn’t won a game away all season.

“They need to get out of it by hook or by crook. It would be a shocker if Swansea went down.”

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Gareth Vincent, BBC Sport Wales

Life as a Championship head coach is unlikely to get any easier any time soon for Luke Williams.

Swansea City have taken one point from four league games since Williams left Notts County to take over at the Welsh club on 5 January.

Swansea might have won when they drew at Birmingham in Williams’ first Championship fixture, although he conceded the Blues were worth their late equaliser.

Then came defeats to Southampton and Leicester – in which Swansea showed some good signs but were well beaten – before last weekend’s frustrating home loss to Plymouth, when Williams’ team paid the price for missing a raft of golden chances.

Now comes a testing visit to sixth-placed Hull City, before back-to-back home games against third-placed Leeds United and Ipswich Town, who are fourth.

After that demanding week, Swansea make the long trip to take on Sunderland, another side who are in play-off contention.

The fixtures have not fallen kindly for Williams. As he attempts to establish himself at Swansea, he will be only too aware that his new team are a mere five points clear of the bottom three having won only once in their last seven league games.

But it is not all bad news.

After Sunderland, Swansea will have 12 Championship games to play. Nine of those games are against teams who are currently in the bottom half of the table.

Of those in the top half, Norwich are the best placed in ninth.

It could be, therefore, that the business end of the season gives Williams the best chance to get his job done.

After a turbulent campaign, that means keeping Swansea in the second tier.

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The Swans head to Humberside this Saturday in a fixture pressed firmly in the memory of any Swansea City fan, writes Ethan Latham.

The first game that springs to mind, well that’s easy.

An unforgettable hat-trick from local hero James Thomas led the Swans to victory in a game where their Football League survival was at stake, as Swansea came from 2-1 down to beat the Tigers 4-2 at the Vetch Field in 2003.

Lenny Johnrose fired in from close-range to restore Swansea's lead, before Thomas capped off the win with a magical chip, to preserve their status.

Both clubs have come a long way since then and Swansea are hoping that another memorable victory against Hull - this time in the Championship - will kick-start a new era for the club under manager Luke Williams, who is still seeking his first win.

A 570 mile round trip awaits, as the Swans hope to end a run of three league defeats on the bounce.

However, the MKM Stadium has not been a happy hunting ground with only one win at the stadium since it opened in 2002.

A Ki-Sung-Yueng goal gave Swansea their only win at Hull’s home in December 2014.

Since that sole victory, the Swans have only managed two draws in seven games, conceding 15 goals in the process.

Three points seemed all but secured in 2020, but a late Tom Eaves equaliser saved a point for Hull in a thrilling 4-4 draw.

A Luke Cundle leveller earned the Swans a point last season, but victory at Humberside has been hard to come by for Swansea over the years, with current Swansea defender and Hull native Josh Tymon on the scoresheet for the Tigers in a 2-0 win over Swansea in 2017.

The Tigers currently occupy the last play-off space in the Championship and will be looking to consolidate their place with victory.

Can Swansea spoil the party and get their season back on track?

Swansea fans - Have your say on the game here.

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Former Swansea City Academy coach Cameron Toshack was a guest on the BBC Sport Wales 'Feast of Football' podcast with former Wales striker Iwan Roberts this week.

Toshack was in charge of the under-18 and under-23 sides between 2013 and 2019 - a period spent mostly in the Premier League.

During his time at the club, Toshack says 19 players from the academy system made their first team debuts - and made millions of pounds of profit.

"At the time there were young players coming through, young players that we were trying to develop. Joe Rodon was a little bit younger but Connor Roberts, Liam Cullen," he said.

"So when we got through to the 23s we had the like of Roberts, Dan James and Rodon who are ironically now all playing for Leeds (Toshack’s former club).

"The ‘Swansea way’ was instilled in all of them. The value of the football.

"How, with patterns of play, we get out of difficult situations and how we create difficult situations for opponents.

"The return on investment - I believe it was £4.5 million a year to run an academy and they sold Connor to a Premier League club (Burnley), they sold Joe (Rodon) to Tottenham, a Premier League club, and they sold Oli (McBurnie) for over £20 million and Dan James for £20 million.

"The investment... turned into £60 million," Toshack - who also helped coach the first team on an interim basis - says.

He also thinks that the youngsters could have helped save Swansea from relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

"Perhaps I am a little bit biased but I do feel that the players (Roberts, James, Rodon, McBurnie) were ready before they had the opportunity," he said.

"But I also understand with the turnover of head coaches and the head coaches bringing in staff in who don’t know these players then they also have to make decisions around their job and how effective and how impactful they can be.

"Let’s face it, unfortunately too often it is a short term industry where people don’t get a chance.

"You’re risk averse (as a coach). Going back to the Swansea way and that academy, that was the most successful part of the football club, there was no doubt about it."

Swansea fans have been contacting us to have their say on the 1-0 defeat to Plymouth on Saturday.

Martin: Wake up Swansea. Going from bad to worse. There will be an inevitable result at the end of the season if things don't improve.

Robert: Swansea City are going down with this manager, no clue how to defend.

Jack: We need a holding midfielder to replace Matt Grimes and Jay Fulton starting together.

Alun: Swansea's owners have sold the fans and the club short, no ambition.

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With Luke Williams admitting missed chances cost Swansea against Plymouth, the fact a former Swansea forward scored the winner will have only added to frustrations.

Morgan Whittaker is proving an example of what could have been for the Swans and their struggles in front of goal.

The Argyle top scorer – whose goal at the Swansea.com Stadium was his17th of the season – could have made a deadline day move to Italian giants Lazio.

But there was another ex-Swansea striker whose January window move may have slipped under the radar of some fans in South Wales.

A few days before the deadline, Ipswich signed 21-year-old Iraq forward Ali Al-Hamadi from AFC Wimbledon on a four-and-a-half year deal.

He made his debut for the promotion-chasing Tractor Boys in their 3-2 defeat at Preston on Saturday having hit 23 goals for the Dons in 12 months after a move from Wycombe, the club he joined after leaving Swansea.

He had impressed in the academy ranks in South Wales, winning the Under-23 player of the year prize in 2021, but turned down a contract, claiming he thought his first-team chances were limited.

Game time at the Chairboys was limited but he caught the eye in a loan spell with Bromley – including starting as they beat Wrexham to win the FA Trophy in 2022 – before switching to the Dons and showing his finishing qualities.

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The fee for the move to Portman Road was undisclosed but it’s been reported as being seven figures, with Wimbledon claiming the deal could be a League Two record if incentives are met.

It won’t be long before he faces Swansea with Ipswich at home coming up a week on Saturday.

After Whittaker’s return, Williams will be hoping another former striker doesn’t make a point.

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Morgan Whittaker admits scoring the winner for Plymouth Argyle against former club Swansea City was the "perfect scenario".

The 23-year-old joined the Swans from Derby County in January 2021 but - after struggling for opportunities in Wales - signed for Plymouth last summer following a loan spell with the Pilgrims.

He has enjoyed a remarkable campaign with the Home Park outfit and could not hide his delight at netting against the club he left prior to the current campaign.

"I’m buzzing. It’s a perfect day really," said Whittaker.

"I’ve scored and it’s our first away win with a clean sheet. We have been waiting for a win like this, where we have had to dig in."

And on his Swans return, Whittaker said: "When you are in bed the night before, thinking about the game, this was the perfect scenario.

"I’m grateful it happened like this, but it was more important that we just got the win.

"I came into this game not wanting to put too much pressure on myself. I didn’t need to prove anything. I just needed to play my normal game."

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Gareth Vincent, BBC Sport Wales

Morgan Whittaker’s matchwinning performance on his return to Swansea City on Saturday made the decision to sell him to Plymouth Argyle last summer look like a glaring error.

Whittaker was outstanding in the first half, oozing a blend of power, pace and quality which Swansea failed to cope with.

The only bit of good news for Swansea when it comes to Whittaker’s form is that there was a significant sell-on clause in the £1m deal which saw him join Argyle on a permanent basis, so they should benefit when – as looks close to inevitable – he makes a big-money move away from Home Park at some point.

There were other positives for Luke Williams’ Swans this weekend, even as they succumbed to a fourth straight defeat in all competitions.

Firstly, they created enough chances to win three matches, never mind one, and secondly, in Ronald they had a wide player who looked capable of changing a game.

A lack of pace and dynamism out wide has been an issue for Swansea for far too long – which makes Whittaker’s exit all the more puzzling – but the signing of Ronald appears to have gone some way towards addressing that issue.

The 22-year-old Brazilian speaks no English and has only been in the country for a matter of days, but that did not stop him marking his first Swansea start with a display full of promise.

Ronald has shown already that he can do damage with his pace, he can beat a man and he is willing to compete physically – and that his delivery is also good.

With better finishing from Jamie Paterson and then Jerry Yates – twice – Ronald would have had three assists against Plymouth.

The one blot on Ronald's copybook was a shot with his weaker left foot which he sliced out for a throw-in, but his was a very encouraging home debut.

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Luke Williams says Swansea City will pull clear of Championship relegation danger if they continue to perform as they did in defeat to Plymouth Argyle.

Swansea missed a succession of big chances to get back into the game after going behind to Morgan Whittaker’s first-half goal, which ultimately proved decisive.

A third successive league defeat leaves Swansea, who last won on New Year’s Day, only five points clear of the relegation zone with fixtures against Hull City, Leeds United, Ipswich Town and Sunderland to come next.

Asked about Swansea’s increasingly worrying league position, Williams said: “I don’t like that, of course I don’t like that.

“We need to concentrate on trying to play really well.

“If we can create 19 chances every week [as Swansea did against Plymouth] and create openings in the six-yard box, we’d have to be a very unlucky team to suffer more.

“We have some tough fixtures but that’s the job. There’s no sulking or feeling sorry for myself.

“It’s just about trying to get training right, pick the right team, give the players the right motivation and give them the clarity they need.”

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Swansea City have suffered another injury blow with Harrison Ashby another facing a spell in the sidelines.

On-loan Newcastle United defender Ashby only recently returned to action after almost two months out with a hamstring issue.

He is now set for another lay-off, joining fellow right-sided defensive options Josh Key, Harry Darling, Azeem Abdulai and Sam Parker on the injured list.

Veteran Kyle Naughton played in Saturday’s defeat to Plymouth Argyle and may now be set for a run in the Swansea team.

“He has a muscular problem so he is going to be a few weeks,” said head coach Luke Williams. “We are not going to be able to put an exact time on it yet.”

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Luke Williams acknowledges that Swansea City old boy Morgan Whittaker will be one to watch when he returns to south Wales with Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

Whittaker is in spectacular form, having scored 16 times this season, including eight in his last nine appearances.

Whittaker’s contribution at Argyle has led to question marks about why he was given only limited opportunities at Swansea before joining the Pilgrims for a fee of about £1m last summer.

“I worked with Morgan here,” said Swansea boss Williams, who had a spell at the Welsh club as a coach under Russell Martin.

“I know he had some difficult times when he was in and out of the squad but I don’t think anyone doubted that he would be a good player.

“But sometimes the timing is wrong, sometimes people need a new start.

“I am not shocked to see him do so well, but we would like him to do not so well for one game [this weekend] and then go back to being a star.”

Whittaker scored six goals in 37 appearances for Swansea after joining for about £700,000 in 2021.

He made only five league starts in a Swans shirt.

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The signing of Charles Sagoe Jr on deadline day means Swansea City have six loan players in their squad for the rest of the season.

However, EFL rules only allow five loan players to be included in a matchday squad.

Therefore, one of Carl Rushworth, Bashir Humphreys, Harrison Ashby, Charlie Patino, Jamal Lowe and Sagoe Jr will not be involved each time Swansea play.

But head coach Luke Williams is unconcerned about potential selection headaches.

“We have to prepare now for a tough period of football without windows,” he said.

“The notion that we’ll always have a fully fit squad and the loan players will all be available is probably unrealistic.

“There will be one or two decisions to make on who will miss out but I don’t see it being a huge problem.”

For the moment, at least, there is no issue, with forward Lowe expected to spend at least a few more weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Ashby is also a doubt for Saturday’s meeting with Plymouth Argyle after coming off at Leicester in midweek.

“With Jamal’s injury, it made sense [to sign Sagoe Jr] because you can never guarantee a smooth return to play,” Williams added.

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Sheffield Wednesday could seal a late deadline-day loan move for Swansea City defender Kristian Pedersen.

The Owls are eager to bolster their defensive options and have identified Denmark international Pedersen as a target.

The 29-year-old joined the Swans from German outfit Cologne last summer but has made just five appearances for the Championship club this season.

BBC Wales Sport understands Swansea are willing to offload the versatile defender - who has 18 months left to run on his contract - before Thursday's 23:00 GMT deadline.

Schalke have also reportedly shown an interest in Pedersen, but the Owls are favourites to get a deal over the line.

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Swansea City are eyeing a deadline-day move for Norwich City’s Poland international Przemyslaw Placheta.

Placheta, 25, is a left-sided midfielder although he has played at left-back.

His Norwich contract expires at the end of the season.

Placheta has made 61 appearances since joining Norwich in 2020, scoring two goals, and had an injury-hit loan spell at Birmingham City last season.

He has played 19 times for Norwich this season – but made only six starts – and has not featured since a defeat at Millwall on 29 December.

Swansea are short of left-sided options having sent Nathanael Ogbeta and Nathan Tjoe-A-On out on loan this month.

Josh Tymon is their first-choice left-wingback, while Kristian Pedersen has not featured in a league game since October and could be allowed to leave before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

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We asked you for your thoughts on Swansea City's 3-1 defeat at Leicester City on Tuesday.

Here are some of your comments on the Swans:

Mike: At times Swansea played well but gave Leicester too much room and gave away two sloppy goals.

Robert: Swansea City are going down with this manager [Luke Williams], no clue how to defend.

Wyn: Swansea desperately need a commanding and experienced centre-half and, above all else, a leader.

Mal: Swansea going nowhere fast, one new player in, the same old story.

Kevin: Very poor, not a clue what they are doing. We need some new faces soon.

Tim: Lacking in just about every department, but should avoid relegation.

Gareth: We desperately need some attacking options in this [transfer] window. Just not creating enough in the final third.

Scott: We’ve lost our identity, we have taken such a backwards step in every direction, it is sad to see really! Hoping big Luke Williams can change that, but going to need time and bring in players for his style. Can only see long, dark roads for some time to come unfortunately.

Swansea boss Luke Williams says he "loved" striker Jerry Yates' performance in Tuesday's Championship defeat at Leicester City.

Speculation over Yates' future continues to swirl with Blackburn Rovers reportedly interested in the 27-year-old.

Yates is Swansea’s leading scorer this season, having scored seven goals in 32 appearances – 21 of which have been starts – since he joined from Blackpool in a deal worth about £3m last summer.

But the 27-year-old has started only three of Swansea’s 10 league games since Michael Duff was sacked in early December.

"I loved his performance tonight I think that he had a header late on in the game and I think if it goes in he really deserved that," said Williams after their 3-1 defeat.

"I was really happy with Jerry’s performance. He's still here, I'm still picking him. He’s the number nine as a big reward at the end of a hard week of training."

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