Jack Butty watched the incoming tide and the bladderwrack and sea lettuce washing up on the shore. He scratched his head. His ship was anchored in the Fowey estuary while the men were on press-gang duty to recruit new crew members. The beer in the tavern was bitter, and so was he. Yes, that was it. Life and age were doing that.

It was getting harder to find a good crew these days, and he wondered how much longer the life he had known on the high seas could continue. He remembered his dad's wizened words: “Slow horses and fast women are no good for any man.” Aye, you could add following your football team to that list, too, Pa.

Many of us fans have, with some justification, criticised the club’s use of the loan system. Why are we bringing in loans and stifling homegrown players when we have academy talent in the wings? Loanees go back to their clubs at the end of the loan, leaving us with nothing but memories. Not always good ones at that. We should be developing our squad, and loan players are a short-term (short-sighted) stopgap.

What is the rationale for using the loan system? Clearly, there can be many reasons. These include that it allows a club to: address key positional areas in a team; provide cover in case of injury to other players; and add a touch of quality that would not otherwise be available or affordable. Who could fault Brendan Rodgers when he brought in Scott Sinclair and Fabio Borini, who added the star dust and star goals that made the difference to get to and win the play-offs and into the Premier League? Or, Steve Cooper, who, with his starlets from winning the 2017 U17 World Cup, took the Swans to the play-offs in the 2019-20 season, several of whom have since gained full England caps. Or last season’s Lewis O’Brien, who came on an expensive loan in January 2025 and made a huge contribution to turning around our fortunes and avoiding relegation, which the Swans were facing under Luke Williams’ stewardship.

Just as those are some of the good examples of loans that add value, there are plenty that don’t work out. Manuel Benson was one of those. On the face of it, it was a reasonable move to bring in a player who had had an impressive season with Championship promotion-busting Burnley, who could provide some competition for Ronald on the right wing. Whether it was his fitness or other factors, it didn’t work out for him or for us.

Looking back in history, there are many examples of loans that didn’t work out. Who could forget the ‘golden boy’ loan signing of Renato Sanches (below) from Bayern Munich in 2017, who had a disastrous spell with us. It has to be accepted that not every loan will work out. The key must be that many more good loans work out well than those that don’t.

Loan signings can fail for any number of reasons. A crucial factor must be clarity from the player’s club on what they want the loan to achieve, and from the loaning club on what they want the loan to do for the squad and why this is a better option than an outright purchase. The Swans' loan policy has been poor in recent years but has improved with a more targeted, better-prepared approach this season. Ishé Samuels-Smith was brought in to provide cover for Josh Tymon. Tymon’s form has been so impressive, and his injury record so good, that opportunities for Samuels-Smith have been limited. When he has been called upon, he has performed well, and he will have learned a lot from being part of the first-team setup.

Kaelan Casey (below) was arguably an unnecessary loan, given the club already had centre-back cover with Ricardo Santos. However, with Santos’ long-term injury, Casey was called upon more often than expected and, again, performed very well. Gustavo Nunes joined on loan in January this year from Brentford. He was probably brought in as cover for the injured Zeidane Inoussa and to provide a challenge for Ji-sung Eom. Nunes hasn’t burnt a particularly bright path during his spell to date, but the intention from the loan is clear.

Malick Yalcouyé, the loanee from Brighton, has arguably made the strongest impact this season. At just 20 years of age and cutting a slight figure, he has shown the tenacity of a bulldog. He always wants to be involved and has a good engine for tireless box-to-box running, silky play that keeps the tempo ticking over in midfield, and surging defence-splitting runs.

Although the Swans are blessed with a full complement of midfield players, it is clear that each one fulfils a different role. Melker Widdell and Yalcouyé are similar players, both with the energy to run and press in the style that Vitor Matos is asking for. However, this style of play is hugely energy-sapping – even more so when the team is playing three games a week. Invariably, it is Yalcouyé has been used as a substitute for Widdell during a game’s second half. This shows Matos giving priority and games to a Swansea player (Widdell) and using the loan (Yalcouyé) as an important back-up.

For me, Yalcouyé (below) has been an outstanding loan. He has grown into the season, particularly after the harsh sending-off against QPR at home. As a young man, he has gained maturity on the pitch, with Matos trusting him to play the way he requires. His play shows both intense energy and skill. Just on Tuesday evening against QPR, he threaded that sublime pass for Eom to get onto for the dubious penalty decision.

I’d like to see him return next season, but I doubt he would want to be a backup loan again. More likely, he and his club would probably like to see him gain experience elsewhere. For the same reasons, I doubt we’d consider buying him – maybe out of our range and/or we already have Widdell and now, also, Leo Walta.

If that is the outcome, I wish Malick well and thank him for his time with us. I hope that he has enjoyed it as much as we’ve enjoyed watching him.

It has saved lives.

Photographs : Swansea City AFC