Matt Grimes has spent over eight years at Swansea City. Since his transfer for around a million pounds from Exeter City he has diligently worked on his game and improved on all aspects of it. He has seen loans away from the club that haven’t gone his way in some cases, but now he is seen as a vital cog in the Swansea City make up each match day.

But these things don’t last forever.

Speculation currently is that Grimes is the player Russell Martin wants with him when he ‘eventually’ becomes the official Southampton manager. A decision by Martin that has ruined his reputation with the many thousands who felt he was nearing some real progress as the Swans manager. However, you have to remain realistic in these circumstances due to the remuneration involved in this particular case. Plus Martin owes the Swans nothing and his mental health earlier on in the year has to be a factor in his decision making. Personally I don’t blame him.

Matt Grimes was the heartbeat of Martin’s success in those games the Swans dominated last season and his precise passing and intelligent game view has earned him a lot of praise. In Matt’s case though it’s the leaving that is going to be harder than anything else this summer. With a young family and partner Angela from Pembrokeshire it will be a huge wrench leaving all that they know and come to love. That west Wales lifestyle is unique. Sixty thousand pounds a month obviously helps and a guarantee of first team football under any manager is what he can achieve at Swansea. Away from the coastal city there are not so many guarantees.

The way Southampton operate with their ever changing managerial merry go round, a lot of pressure from the fans for instant results and the revenue lost from the premier league could mean Martin isn’t around for too long. Sport Republic who are now running matters at St Marty’s want nothing but a return to the top flight. Three losses on the trot for Martin next season and the dissent from the stands will be palpable. No matter what Sport Republic say Martin won’t get anywhere near the time he had at Swansea. During that poor run last season they would have sacked him three times over.

With a contract that goes on for two more seasons Grimes is in a comfortable position. And it’s a position he has fought hard to retain over time with Martin, Steve Cooper and Graham Potter. His loan to Leeds United before that wasn’t helped by his mother taking to social media berating the Leeds support, and the expected backlash left her and Matt with plenty think about. This is another factor behind Matt’s decision making. Does he create a new family environment in another coastal city such as Southampton on far more money, or does he settle for seven hundred thousand pounds a season for two seasons at Swansea and then make his mind up.

Without doubt staying at Swansea would set the level headed midfielder up for life, in fact with the right investment he should be already, so there is the gamble. Swansea City offer Matt complete security, and when he signed his last contract he made that abundantly clear. “It is such a big part of a footballer’s life, to be enjoying your football and the football you are playing.I know it might sound silly, but it has been a huge factor in me staying at the club and I could not be happier” Nothing silly about that Matt at all, that’s just a sensible assessment, and he could have left the Swans two years ago with numerous clubs looking for his signature. Now valued ( reportedly ) by the Swans at five million pounds plus Grimes would easily double his money at Southampton for sure.

However, as we have said that’s the gamble.

A few bad games in a different environment, and of course hiding his mums iPad could create a situation that he hasn’t experienced for some years. Those years of loans at Leeds and Blackburn turned good with a near whole season on loan at Northampton Town are well behind Matt. What is in front of him is a huge decision, and one which could impact on him and his family forever. Stay in Swansea, remain the key player in a team that still promises a lot or move his family down to Southampton. It’s a lovely position to be in when thought through, but the impact remains huge.

Matt Grimes has played well over two hundred games for the Swans, that could easily be well over three hundred come 2025, and then with one more big contract to come in professional football. If he stays at Swansea for the next two years and then gets a similar financial reward on basic salary alone he could earn nigh on five million pounds before he is thirty three. Is that enough for a man and his family who love the west Wales coast, and a family from there as well ? A move from Swansea brings with it many issues, all that can be overcome with the finance on offer of course …

But really is that financial reward worth a risk to his family’s happiness ? Only Matt can overcome that quandary, it’s never going to be a Swansea City loyalty issue, it’s a family issue, and that’s far more impactive than five million pounds compared to ten.

And of course a guaranteed football future set against a fifty fifty opportunity elsewhere.

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Photographs licensed from Reuters

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