Here are your Swansea City headlines on Thursday, January 25.
Luke Williams sends out pre-Bournemouth message
Swansea will be vying to upset the odds when they travel to Premier League Bournemouth in the FA Cup this evening.
Swansea's place in the fourth round was booked courtesy of a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Morecambe in Williams’ SA1 dugout debut, whereas Bournemouth edged past QPR in a thrilling 3-2 victory.
And while Williams understands the increased difficulty that tonight’s tie poses against an outfit currently holding their own in the top flight, he is nonetheless relishing the opportunity to test his side’s resolve and hopes his players will be up to the challenge.
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Speaking ahead of the trip to the south coast, Williams explained: “It’s going to be another big test for us against a team who are very strong, as you can see from how they have been performing in the Premier League.
“They have top-flight quality, and we have to be so brave and ready to go out there and improve our performance levels.
“It’s going to be difficult, we are not at the stage yet where we are fully up to speed in terms of what we are and what we can do. So we need to try and build up those performance levels and it’s a great opportunity to do that because we will be testing ourselves against a very good team.”
Players told what they need to do to earn new deals
Although Swansea are proactively striving to get a number of deals finalised before the January transfer window closes, there is also a port of call when it comes to addressing current contracts within the squad that are due to expire this summer.
As things stand, the Swans will see the deals of seven first-team players run down, including the likes of Nathan Wood, Nathanael Ogbeta and long-term servant Kyle Naughton, while Yannick Bolasie’s short-term contract is set to conclude next week and the club remain locked in negotiations with the winger about his future in SA1.
Players such as Liam Cullen, Joe Allen, Jamie Paterson and Liam Walsh are all in the final stages of their present deals too.
When quizzed specifically on that quartet, Williams voiced exactly what those players need to do in the immediate future and when discussions of renewal may be expected to take place.
The former Notts County boss stated: “I think we probably need a bit more time together and then I think it’s fair to say that at this moment in time, it would be a good opportunity for them to say ‘OK, we have a new manager, so let’s show him how we can play and that we want to be here.’
“And then we start to talk later on in the season (about new contracts).”
Nathan Tjoe-A-On leaves on loan
In preparation for the visit to Bournemouth, Williams alluded to potential player departures in the coming days.
“It’s realistic that one or two players will go to try and find game-time as part of their development, for young players and other players just not getting the minutes they really want,” said Williams
“They’ll try to go somewhere and find some more game-time, so I think that will be happening in the near future.”
The first player to depart is Nathan Tjoe-A-On, who has joined Heerenveen on loan for the rest of the season
In a statement, the club said: "Swansea City defender Nathan Tjoe-A-On has joined Heerenveen on loan for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, subject to international clearance.
"The 22-year-old links up with the Eredivisie side as he looks to get valuable game time under his belt and continue his development. Heerenveen currently sit 11th in the Dutch top-flight standings. Tjoe-A-On joined the Swans from Excelsior on a three-year contract in the summer of 2023, with the deal including the option for an additional 12 months through to the summer of 2027.
"Born in Rotterdam, Tjoe-A-On came through the youth set-up at Excelsior and made his senior debut for them in 2019. He helped them secure promotion in a dramatic play-off final at the end of the 2021-22 season, and he made 29 appearances in the Eredivisie last season, winning the division’s young player of the month award in September 2022."
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Charlie Patino speaks on Arsenal influences
Meanwhile, on-loan midfielder Patino has credited his progression to the presence of beneficial senior players while breaking through at Arsenal.
The talented youngster is currently enjoying a productive loan spell at the Swansea.com Stadium, having contributed with three goals and four assists from 22 matches.
Patino is now set to see out the remainder of the campaign at Swansea and while his long-term future with Arsenal remains speculative, he’s spoken glowingly of some current and former team-mates with the Gunners.
Speaking to Sky Bet, Patino stated: “When I first joined the team at Arsenal, I think I was 17. David Luiz was still there and he was a massive help. He would always come up to me and say ‘just work hard and enjoy yourself, if you need anything come speak to me'. Off the pitch, he was very helpful.
“On the pitch, Granit Xhaka, Martin Ødegaard, and even Bukayo Saka - he was still young, but I still went up to him because he followed the pathway that I ultimately want to follow. It was good for me to go and speak to him and get some information from him.
“Everyone was helpful when I was training with them, and when I did something nice, they were really encouraging but if I messed up, they just said ‘don’t worry, get on with it - forget about it and go again’.
“I think that time with the first team was beneficial.”