News broke late last night regards Matt Grimes and his future at Swansea City. Despite an agreement with Fulham the swans captain is still on a variety of clubs wish lists. And Swansea City know all about it. Sadly Grimes doesn’t see the swans as a 100% certainty for his next big three year contract, and today Grimes is hedging his bets on a far bigger financial move. He has thirty six hours or so to make his mind up.
It isn’t likely Grimes will leave Swansea, he doesn’t have to. And the bids already known to Julian Winter have to be well above the touted 1.5 million. He could stay at Swansea, run his contract down and walk away a free man next summer. However, our sources are very clear on his position. He is waiting to see what happens over the next two days before deciding what to do. And even then he may just do nothing. Swans fans have always been split on Matt Grimes, some love his style of play, others are not so enamoured. The club has stuck by him through thick and thin, loaning him out, getting him fit, recognising his potential, and embracing his families desire for him to be treated in the right way. Numerous Swansea City managers have been witness to the external pressure that has come from Grimes close knit family involvement in his career. This morning Matt Grimes can’t lose, he can stay as Swansea City captain with an admiring manager in Russell Martin, maybe even sign a new contract in his own time before next summer. On the other hand, and this is most certainly what he is doing - he can sit tight and see who comes in for him before the transfer window closes on Tuesday evening.
Matt Grimes can’t lose, it could be this summers mantra. He can bag himself that lucrative move with three clubs today very interested in signing him. All of them are Championship rivals. If not he can wait a while, and his agents can negotiate something even more lucrative come next June or even in January. No fee to pay means more money for the player and the agent.
For us, this is what we know, a solid fee has been talked about for Matt Grimes to leave Swansea. It has been talked about last week, last month and the month before. Grimes and his representatives knows who those clubs are, and he knows at this time of the season more money can be squeezed from any club. As time ticks down to the end of the transfer window. It’s a simple strategy, and hardly difficult to understand.
However, he also should remember this. Steve Cooper thought his stock was high at the end of last season, he was interviewed and cast aside by both Fulham and Crystal Palace. There are always alternatives. It is our belief that Fulham’s interest in Grimes cooled when Cooper was clearly not the man for them. Without Cooper being able to bring in Grimes his appointment became almost impossible. Well, money talks. And we will see that today and tomorrow. One Steve Cooper, without the other, Matt Grimes meant the whole thing wasn’t going to happen. Fulham didn’t have the time to waste on appointing their next manager. That’s not to say they aren’t still going to have a rethink, Cooper has long gone, and Grimes is still available.
There will be offers for Grimes today, and there will be offers for two other established Swansea City players too. Talk won’t be cheap over the next two days, and any club wanting any of Swansea City’s prized assets will have to be very clear, none of them will come cheap. Especially Matt Grimes.
News as we get it on Swansea Independent.