Swansea City head coach, Luke Williams has talked about the two players who currently have one year options on their deals at the club. Both Nathan Wood and Liam Cullen are currently the topic of conversation, and Luke explained their situations pre tomorrow’s game against Middlesbrough.
In the case of Nathan Wood the one year option on his contract has been triggered, and it seems that there was little if any discussion regards this happening. Speaking to a very sound contact at the club their opinion is Wood would have known this option was on the cards (the fact it was going to happen) but there is little need to have a sit down face to face conversation about it. The same happened with Jamie Paterson a few years ago. It isn’t really something that regularly happens. Then he pleaded he was unaware of the intricacies of his extension, including no salary increase, and the picture there went from bad to unmanageable for a month.
In Nathan’s case it seems he was prepared for this development.
Being a far younger player and with a whole career still in front of him he would be unwise to react in the same way as Paterson. It would alert any potential buyers this summer as to his professionalism. What we do know is that there will be offers for him from a number of clubs, any side in the championship would find him of interest, and possibly a few in the Premier League. It’s clear his agent has advised him well, sit tight and see how the next few months develop. That’s a wise move. If he found himself out of the squad due to behavioural issues, clubs would be very cautious at the idea of signing him.
Luke has stated, "We just took the option. I think the first thing is that the option gives us some breathing space and protects us a little bit. We'll see if we can have some conversations with him and the people that represent him and see where he's at. We want players invested in Swansea. So we'll have a conversation about how he feels." That statement from the head coach reveals a number of things. First, he is revealing that no real conversation took place regards the option. There obviously haven’t been any talks as Luke states : We'll see if we can have some conversations with him and the people that represent him and see where he's at. And then saying - ’We will see how he feels’ (regards a new deal) tells us he hasn’t been engaged at all about staying at Swansea. This clearly means Nathan will await offers in the summer transfer window.
In Liam Cullen’s case the head coach states he is a different proposition. We have been told that Liam’s salary is as low as it can be at Swansea. He would sign a new deal in a heartbeat, but at a decent salary level, not the same numbers he is on at the moment. That isn’t to say Liam won’t be of interest to other clubs, there have been inquiries in the recent past. As Liam states,
"Everyone knows what I want to do. So hopefully we can sort something out - a few more years hopefully. This is home for me. I love playing for this club. I love representing the club. I love the fans and I love working with the staff and the manager, and obviously the players. It's just down to my agent and the club to work something out."
Liam isn’t going to tear up trees game in game out, but he is an important player to the squad, he loves the club and we believe once discussions are complete he will have a new contract offer. That doesn’t necessarily mean that’s imminent. However, the same applies to all players, as Luke reinforced when referencing Nathan Wood, "It's not like we can say: 'Don't go, we'll give you the same salary. Play here where you're loved and we're going to be in a great place. I don't think we'll be able to fend off any of the big clubs. If the boy wants to go and the money is going to be really, really substantial. It's going to be almost impossible I think."
That’s an honest assessment.
Then of course there’s a handful of players who are also in a form of limbo. Joe Allen’s new injury is a concern, with games slowly drawing the season to a close he will be anxious to sort something out at the Swans. On that we stand by the fact he has been offered the framework of a deal, but as illustrated this season his injuries are a concern. Then there’s Jamie Paterson, Kyle Naughton and Liam Walsh, another three players who are also in limbo. The Swans can show no compassion to these players, if Williams says no - then that’s their new deal, a free transfer. Paterson will be snapped up, but Kyle and Liam ?
We did have a piece yesterday about Mykola Kukharevych, that doesn’t mean to say we are constantly in disagreement with not only the club but the manager as well. Luke Williams is on a journey, not only is he learning about his players, he is learning a lot about himself as a leader and mentor. There has to be some flexibility from both the fans and the club, things should never be taken personally. However in Mykola’s case it really doesn’t sound true.
That’s here —> ⚽️ Fit for his country but not for his club
We endeavour to bring you the story behind the news, and will question and praise where it’s applicable. That’s what we owe you as Swansea City fans, because we are Swansea City fans too.