It hasn’t been the best of times for Liam Cullen this season. He has struggled on the pitch when given an opportunity despite a wonderful touch for Joel Piroe’s goal at Preston. Cullen has been carefully managed by Russell Martin, and as a result, and in his best interests it has been decided, if the opportunity arises, he should spend the rest of this season out on loan.

When the January offers come in, and they will, the swans wont look for anything other than a short term loan deal for Cullen, reports link a whole host of clubs who would love to take him for he rest of the season. A certain number of things have to be aligned though for Liam to leave. Initially Cullen wasn’t interested in anything other than remaining at Swansea, however over time this season the penny has clearly dropped he needs far more game time. The clubs linked with him are all from league one or two with Portsmouth increasingly in pole position. Already the swans have done business with the south coast club last season loaning George Byers to them.

The Pembrokeshire youth product may well now see the benefit in moving to another club and developing new skills as Kyle Joseph is doing at Cheltenham Town this season. Having been at the swans for many years, and generally being successful at all levels below the first team for both his club and country he is at a cross roads. He needs games and he needs to know he is playing. Some stability is needed in Cullen’s career. Now twenty two with not that many first team appearances he needs to understand this is an opportunity not a punishment.

Russell Martin has made it clear recently. "At this minute in time we only have three strikers in the building so it would be very difficult to let Liam go out. You think of the young guys to come through the academy, and he's played less games than others. "There might come a point where he needs to play football. At this minute in time, he's here, he gets on the pitch. We love him and the way he trains every day, his dedication is amazing. We'll just have to see on that one. No one has rung me about Liam. We haven't made him available for a loan."

Read that again if you need to. Three strikers in the building, that’s three...

Our maths isn’t brilliant, and we do make the odd mistake but Joel Piroe, Michael Obafemi, Liam Cullen and Morgan Whittaker makes four. Whittaker as we know is as good as gone in January, be that on loan or permanently, so it looks like our Russ has let something slip there. And possibly intentionally as well. For Liam to get more game time away from the swans he needs to go out on loan, for that to happen, the swans need to bring in another striker is what we are hearing.That would be another striker behind Obafemi and Piroe in the pecking order, would another striker want that ?

It’s highly doubtful.

Despite Martin’s mixed messages that do conflict somewhat to Mark Allen’s indications recently on players leaving the club. Allen has stated players will be leaving and we are certain a man of his experience will have his ducks well lined up. The good news is Liam now see’s a loan as a positive, and of course Russell Martin has maybe cleverly put him in the shop window with his comments. Either way the swans will get interest in Liam in the coming two weeks, we are pleased he accepts that fact, he needs developing away from the safety of the swans, and yes that means soon, very soon.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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