Morgan Whittaker has spent a week thinking over moves to Exeter City, Cheltenham and now Plymouth Argyle. Apparently, it seems he has made his mind up. Despite interest again from Portsmouth we have been informed he has made his decision. And late inquiries from a further four League One clubs have faltered in recent days.

That has been the issue recently over Morgan making a decision on his immediate future.

With Jordon Garrick still of interest to Portsmouth, Morgan Whittaker seems to have settled for a loan move to Plymouth Argyle. We have been told that if he performs to the level Russell Martin believes he can then there is still a door open for him at Swansea City. With three whole years to run on his swans contract he has this season to show the current swans management what he can offer to the club. For us here at Swansea Independent he has everything the club desires in a committed and goalscoring attacker. However, his overall ability requires more development and he needs another season away from Swansea to finally prove his worth.

And he knows it.

A fairly successful loan spell at Lincoln City last season was a step forwards, and this coming season will most certainly be of interest to Swansea City supporters. At only twenty one he has some time on his side, but when he returns to Swansea, be that in January or at the end of the season he will be twenty two, and that’s just enough time for him to show the standard he can attain.

Unless one of the plethora of league one clubs come up with a very late deal this morning it is expected it will be announced he will sign for Plymouth Argyle today. Swansea City have numerous players capable of strengthening a number of League One clubs. Kyle Joseph, Liam Cullen and Jordon Garrick are fine examples, but they are players who just don’t seem to have the metal to cut it in Russell Martin’s side. If any of these players still remain at Swansea come the start of September it is certain they will be bit part players.

Ryan Bennett has most certainly excluded himself from anything the swans have on offer for him, and that seems a two way street. Like Jay Fulton he would be a welcome departure over the next forty odd days. In Bennett’s case he could easily sit back at his age and take the eighty plus thousand pounds a month he is contracted to earn at Swansea. There has been interest but there is absolutely no way any club in the championship could match his salary at the swans. And we say that based on his ability and age.

Unless Ryan is realistic he has only one option, but only if he wants to play football, it’s a loan move. He is now thirty two, the same age as Joe Allen, he has one more year left on a three year contract offered to him by the club under Steve Cooper. That’s a million pounds he could squeeze out of the club by literally just turning up for training, something he hasn’t done for ten days. The same manager ( Steve Cooper ) pushed for a new contract for Jay Fulton last year which also means many clubs in the championship cannot match his salary. That’s around another half a million pounds the club has to find over the next year ( he has two to run ) for a player who hasn’t featured that many times for the swans since Martin dropped him last season. Jay is in a strong position financially, and his immediate family all live in Swansea.

We are aware he has said on numerous occasions he doesn’t want to leave Swansea and has persisted in his message to Russell Martin ‘ I want to stay ‘ The real issue for the current Swansea manager is he wants players who are completely focussed on his strategy and group squad ethic. He doesn’t want a player who doesn’t see his overall vision or has the ability to fit in to that ethos.

That’s understandable.

Jay Fulton could easily sit back and refuse the attentions of other clubs as he did in January and see out his contract until 2024, that’s a million pounds banked over the next two years. Despite numerous efforts by the club Jay wants to remain at Swansea and prove a point. On those wages, who can blame him ?

When you look at this seasons numbers on Bennett and Fulton it amounts to one and a half million pounds. And that’s for players who won’t really get a look in on a permanent basis. When you think about it that’s potentially the difference between Joel Piroe leaving or staying. Okay, that’s one way of looking at, but it’s also stopping the club getting in a player who could really be an asset to the swans this season.

Swansea City cant afford to pay out those salaries to players who aren’t at the forefront of Russell Martin’s thoughts. That is enough evidence to prove that transfers of any substance are possibly not going to happen in the immediate future. And by that we mean substantial.

The good news is Morgan Whittaker seems to be on his way, including Jordon Garrick. Freeing up their salaries makes a slight positive dent but it’s nothing compared to those players who are proving very hard to shift. Things have to play out positively for Swansea City so the club can get in those players Russell Martin still wants. Of course that relies on those players leaving who don’t have a future at the club.

In football there is little room for sympathy, especially when a million pounds a year can’t be found elsewhere. That’s the dilemma, nobody is saying these players are wrong, but really how much money does any one person need ? Especially when their earnings over one or two weeks match that of fans who travel the length and breadth of the county every week.

And that’s over a whole year.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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