Swansea City

Image source, Getty Images

Former Swansea City manager Graham Potter is being reported as a managerial target for Leicester City.

But another former Swans boss, Steve Cooper, is also being linked to take over at the recently promoted Premier League club.

Leicester are on the hunt for a new manager after the departure of Enzo Maresca to Chelsea.

Potter has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in April 2023, having ed them from Brighton - the club he left Swansea for in 2019 after an eye-catching first season in British management.

Cooper replaced Potter at the Swans before ing Nottingham Forest in 2021, leading the City Ground side to promotion in his first season.

He was assisted by ex-Swansea captain Alan Tate, who left Forest with Cooper last December and is understood to be ready to work alongside the ex-England youth chief when he makes his return to football.

In a BBC Sport poll, Potter is currently the preferred choice among Leicester fans, with Cooper trailing behind former West Ham boss David Moyes.

Neither Potter nor Cooper would be the first former Swansea manager to take the reins at Leicester.

Brendan Rodgers won the FA Cup at Leicester in a four-year spell that came to end in April 2023 before the Foxes' relegation to the Championship.

Rodgers arrived in Swansea to succeed Paulo Sousa when he left for Leicester in 2010 for a short-lived spell in the East Midlands.

And Micky Adams - who had a 13-day, three-match spell as Swansea boss in 1997 - managed Leicester to Premier League promotion in 2002.

Want more transfer stories and gossip? Read Tuesday's full column

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Swansea City have plenty of work to do this summer if they are to mould a squad capable of a significant improvement next season after the struggles of the last campaign.

But more than a month since defeat by Millwall brought the curtain down on 2023-24, there is little sign yet of Swansea doing business in the transfer market.

Swansea fans hoping for news of new recruits have so far been left disappointed.

Various players have been linked but, as yet, Swansea have not begun filling the various holes in Luke Williams’ squad.

But it is not as if Swansea are the only club in this situation.

In fact, the Championship transfer market has been remarkably quiet this summer.

You can almost count on one hand the number of done deals so far in the second tier.

With the transfer window officially opening later this week, perhaps a few more deals will start to materialise.

But many more will not happen until pre-season, while there will be the inevitable late rush before the window closes at the end of August.

Image source, Getty Images

Swansea City assistant coach Alan Sheehan has obtained his Uefa pro licence.

The Irishman previously held an A licence but has now secured the highest coaching qualification available in European football.

Sheehan ed the Swans in the summer of 2023 and was named caretaker boss following the sacking of Michael Duff in December.

The 37-year-old - who had spells with clubs including Leeds United and Leicester City during his playing career - oversaw Championship wins against Rotherham United, Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion during his seven-game tenure as boss.

He remains on the coaching staff under head coach Luke Williams, who was named as Duff's successor in January.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

Image source, Getty Images

Sam Gallagher has his irers at Swansea City, but the chances of the Blackburn Rovers striker ending up in Wales this summer look fairly slim.

Gallagher is being linked with a close-season move despite the fact that Rovers have triggered an extension clause in the 28-year-old’s contract which means he is tied to Ewood Park until 2025.

Swansea have been touted as potential suitors along with Luton Town and Ipswich Town, who reportedly saw bids for former Southampton player Gallagher rejected in January.

Would Swansea like to sign the 6ft 4in frontman? Very possibly, yes.

But are they likely to get him should Blackburn decide to sell? It is doubtful.

Gallagher’s wage demands are likely to put him beyond Swansea’s reach, which would not be the case for some of the other clubs who are said to be interested.

Head coach Luke Williams has said he wants a new centre-forward this summer as he looks to add firepower to a squad who did not take enough chances during 2023-24, and it is understood there is money available to use as a transfer fee.

But it would be a surprise should a deal for Gallagher get over the line.

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Davies has left Tottenham Hotspur to become Birmingham City boss almost six months since he turned down the chance to take over at Swansea City.

Davies was Swansea’s primary target following the sacking of Michael Duff last December and held extensive talks with the Welsh club.

But Davies eventually opted to stay on as senior assistant coach at Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou, with Swansea eventually appointing Luke Williams as head coach in January.

Davies, who was on Swansea’s staff when Brendan Rodgers was the club’s manager, has now said farewell to Spurs having agreed a four-year deal with Birmingham.

The Blues were relegated to League One in 2023-24, though they do have ambitious owners.

Image source, Getty Images

The sight of Josh Sheehan leading Wales out to face Gibraltar on Thursday will prompt smiles at Swansea City’s academy.

Sheehan, after all, learned his trade at Swansea, coming through the ranks after ing the club as a 10-year-old.

He was always highly regarded, with many comparing the Pembrey-born midfielder to another Swansea product, Joe Allen.

After loan spells with Yeovil Town and Newport County, Sheehan left Swansea to the Exiles on a permanent basis in January 2018, moving on to current club Bolton Wanderers in 2021.

He made only one first-team appearance for the Swans, in a League Cup win over Rotherham in 2014, though there may have been many more had they not been a Premier League club throughout his time with the senior squad.

Even though he has carved out a career elsewhere, Sheehan is regarded as a success story for Swansea’s academy given that he has played more than 300 senior games.

And he is one of many players who have gone on to win senior Wales caps having come through the age groups at Swansea in the last couple of decades.

Image source, Getty Images

Since moving to what is now the Swansea.com Stadium in 2005, Swansea have brought through the likes of Allen, Shaun MacDonald and Ollie Cooper in midfield, plus the versatile Jazz Richards.

There have been quality defenders, too, in Ben Davies, Joe Rodon, Connor Roberts and Ben Cabango, plus attacking players like Daniel James and Liam Cullen.

And there are others who have made it to the Wales team without ever playing for Swansea, like Emyr Huws – who left the club for Manchester City as a teenager – and Ryan Hedges.

Who might come next on what is a well-trodden path?

The likes of Sam Parker, Ben Lloyd and Joel Cotterill all have a chance.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

Image source, Getty Images

Jamal Lowe is officially a free agent after being released by a Premier League club Bournemouth.

Lowe, 29, scored 10 goals in 35 appearances while on loan at Swansea City in 2023-24.

But the forward is now on the lookout for new employers after he was confirmed as one of five senior players who will leave the Cherries this summer.

So could a return to Wales be on the cards?

Swansea head coach Luke Williams is an irer of Lowe, and said towards the end of the season that the Welsh club would consider offering the Jamaica international a permanent contract after what was a decent loan spell.

However, Williams was quick to point out that Lowe’s earning power might put him out of Swansea’s reach.

As a free agent with a proven record in the Championship, Lowe is unlikely to be short of suitors in the next few weeks.

Swansea must weigh up whether they want to push hard for Lowe, or look elsewhere as they bid to add firepower to Williams' squad.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Swansea’s City’s majority shareholders have provided the club with a cash injection for the fourth month in a row.

A new share issue has seen the consortium of American owners provide just under £3m worth of funding.

It comes less than five weeks after the most recent funding, taking investment to £10.5m since the turn of the year – and close to £25m over the past 12 months.

In an update to , external, Swansea City’s ers' Trust said further share issues are to be expected next month, echoing a statement from the club in February, external which said “additional equity injections” were to follow as part of budget plans and were to help the costs of the playing squad and day-to-day operations.

The shares will boost the holding of Swansea LLC – the US-based company that includes Steve Kaplan, Jason Levien, Jason Silverstein and current Swans chair Andy Coleman.

It will also decrease the shareholding of others, including the trust whose stake is now at 9.58% – with 5% of that protected. Their position on the club’s board is also unaffected.

This comes following the publication of the club’s s that confirmed a pre-tax loss of £17.9m for the financial year ending July 2023. As an average, that meant the club were losing around £1.5m a month.

It was an increase on the previous year despite an increase in turnover of £1.8m to £21.5m.

In July 2023, the club’s wage bill also stood at £21.5m.

The losses remained within compliance with EFL profit and sustainability rules, with Coleman saying in April: “We have been working diligently to put the building blocks in place to turn around the footballing and financial performance of Swansea City.

“Much work remains to be done. The Championship is a very unforgiving environment, and we hold no illusions about how difficult it is to succeed on the pitch and off it."

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Swansea City captain Matt Grimes was among a number of players who are already back on the training ground ahead of the new season.

Grimes, 28, was ed by the likes of fellow long-serving midfielder Jay Fulton in returning to the club's Fairwood base.

It's part of a mid-summer 'check-in' arranged by boss Luke Williams, who was also back in training gear overseeing some ball work with a handful of his squad.

In a social media post, external made by the club, players are seen going through fitness and medical tests as well as some light drills in keeping with Williams' desire to ensure players and staff stay on top of any issues.

Further players will be due in for their off-season checks before Williams' first pre-season in charge begins on 1 July.

Image source, bbc sport

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Josh Ginnelly is close to getting the green light to re Swansea City’s squad for day one of pre-season.

The winger saw the majority of his first season at the club wrecked by injury.

Signed on a free from Hearts last summer, Ginnelly managed two goals in eight appearances before being ruled out in September by an Achilles problem.

The 27-year-old made significant steps towards a comeback last month when he returned to his first individual sessions on the grass.

While most of Swansea’s squad have left their Fairwood training base during the close season, Ginnelly has been returning to keep on course with his comeback.

And Swansea now expect him to be ready to link up in time for the start of pre-season on 1 July.

It will be a boost for manager Luke Williams, who has said he was excited to see what the ex-Preston wideman can offer.

Joe Allen, who recently agreed a new one-year deal, has also returned to the club’s HQ as he returns from a toe problem suffered in the final weeks of the season.

Williams recently said players are expected to check-in midway through their break, while the side are expected to continue their build-up to the 24-25 campaign in Austria.

Image source, Getty Images

Alan Curtis hopes Swansea City will emerge from “a big summer” with a squad capable of competing in the top half of the Championship next season.

Swansea finished 14th in 2023-24, an arduous campaign which began with struggles under Michael Duff and ended with more encouraging signs following the January appointment of Luke Williams as head coach.

Williams is now part of a recruitment process which Swansea need to get right if they are to lift themselves into play-off contention in the next campaign.

Club legend and honorary president Curtis says the process of reshaping the squad is up and running – even if things are “very quiet at the moment”.

“The players are still looking at contracts to see if they can get a better offer, or rather agents will certainly be doing that,” Curtis said.

“To be fair to Luke, he has not taken a summer holiday himself, because he feels he has not worked for it. It’s going to be a big summer.”

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Swansea said farewell to six loan players at the end of their season – Carl Rushworth, Harrison Ashby, Bashir Humphreys, Charlie Patino, Charles Sagoe Jr and Jamal Lowe – while Liam Walsh and Przemyslaw Placheta are leaving at the end of their contracts.

Negotiations over a new deal are ongoing with Jamie Paterson, whose contract expires next month.

Whether Paterson stays or not, Swansea have vacancies for new recruits throughout their squad.

“We probably will need a goalkeeper, I think we could do with another centre-forward and possibly another midfield player,” Curtis said.

“The basis of the squad is there and with a few additions, who will cost a little bit of money, we could be a force to be reckoned with next year.”

Image source, Getty Images

Swansea City midfielder Azeem Abdulai has been named in the Scotland Under-21 squad to face Turkey and Austria in friendlies next month.

Swansea announced last week they had taken up an option to extend Abdulai's contract by 12 months, meaning he is tied to the Welsh club until the summer of 2026.

Abdulai, 21, made seven substitute appearances in the Championship last season and started three cup matches.

The Scotland youngsters travel to Istanbul to play Turkey on Monday, June 3 before facing Austria in Vienna on Friday June 7.

Image source, Getty Images

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 before g 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 s 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."