Swansea City: New fixtures, World Cup watch and transfers round-up!

Another week or so has passed - the World Cup is in full swing, the transfer market has seen some movement and Cardiff are still in the Championship. So let's see how the summer is treating Swansea City!


Fixtures

The Premier League fixtures for the 2014/15 season were released today. Rumors of playing West Brom at home for the first game were false - instead Swansea will play Man United again for their opening fixture, albeit at Old Trafford this time around (this will be on 16th August).

The rest of August, September and October are all pretty winnable and should give us some nice points to take into November which looks like a bit of a tough month (with games against Everton, Arsenal and Man City).

The season overall is pretty well balanced between tough and not-so-tough teams. Hopefully survival in the Premier League will be sorted before May as the Swans will face both Arsenal (away) and Man City (home) in that month. The final game is on 24th May with an away trip to face Crystal Palace. The full list can be found on the Evening Post's website.

Emnes during his first stint with the club in 2010/11

Transfers

There's not been much in the way of transfer activity over the past week. At the moment the biggest news is that the Swans are pretty close to signing an old face - Marvin Emnes - for around £1million. The 26-year-old has been with the club on loan twice over the past few years and, although he's nothing groundbreaking, he offers another decent option up front and is already a firm fan favourite. And, let's be honest, £1million is a bargain!

Wilfried Bony has said he will only leave Swansea for a top six club, which - I guess - is fair enough, even though we hope it doesn't happen this summer. It may/will definitely be difficult for the club to keep hold of the star striker in the long term, but if he does go it will be better to see him with Arsenal or Chelsea, not Stoke or Sunderland.

Meanwhile the question mark still hangs over Ashley Williams' head, but all this talk from his agent smells too much like a tactic to increase his wages rather than an actual threat to go elsewhere. Another 'watch this space'!


World Cup watch

The World Cup is only a week old, but it's already been a fascinating tournament. And Brazil - home to the Copacabana, the Rio Carnival and the BSOP - is the temporary home to some of Swansea City's stars.

Wilfried Bony popped up to score Ivory Coast's first goal in the 2-1 turnaround against Japan, with a glancing header after latching on to Serge Aurier's cross in the second half.

Meanwhile Jonathan de Guzman played around an hour of Holland's thrilling 5-1 hammering of Spain (even if he looked a little out of his depth at times). Michel Vorm was on the bench for the Dutch for that game, but with Holland having no set number one, don't be surprised if we see him at some stage in the tournament.

In South Korea's 1-1 draw with Russia last night, Ki Sung Yueng showed the kind of midfield passing and domination that, had he shown more of in his first season with Swansea, may have seen him avoiding that loan spell at Sunderland. Either way, he looks like a player Garry Monk - and the Swans fans - will want to keep hold of.

More from all these players in the next few days (including de Guzman tonight hopefully)!


Shirt sponsors

Finally, the Swans look to have agreed a new shirt sponsorship deal with the company with the almost unreadable logo, GWFX (the Goldenway Global Group).

It turns out to be the biggest shirt sponsorship deal in Swansea City's history, supposedly worth more than £4 million to the club. Good business there, even if I do hate that logo!

Swansea City: a procrastinators weekly summary

I've been away on holiday, then I spent a week procrastinating. So, without further delay, let's have a brief and sketchy look at what's been happening in the world of Swansea City over the past week or so!


Fabianski

For a change, the Swans have been very quick to nab a player in the transfer window - Lucasz Fabianski signed last week on a free transfer for four years. Great business to bring in a decent Polish international.

While he's not been Arsenal's first choice, he has been solid enough at times during his 32 appearances, even though he's made his fair share of mistakes. He's a capable keeper though - check out the video post on him from last week, highlighting his top ten saves. Whether or not he'll be first choice keeper next season will depend on...


Vorm

...Michel Vorm. One of the reasons Swansea excelled in their first and second seasons in the Premier League. But oddly the Dutch shot-stopper didn't look himself last season, conceding soft goals and making several uncharacteristic mistakes.

I'm sure most Swans fans would be happy to keep him next year, but rumours have been rife that he's heading off, with Liverpool showing interest. This seems to just be paper talk at the moment, with the man himself telling Dutch reporters there is little in the way of news on his departure. Watch this space.

Why always me?

Ashley Williams vs. the World

I'm not completely certain what has been happening with Ashley Williams. While I was away on holiday a brief look on Twitter showed he was having some sort of battle with everyone's favourite ex-Cardiff fat striker Michael Chopra. Who knows what it was about (most of us can probably guess), but it touched a nerve with the defender and he deleted his Twitter account.

Around the same time he was photographed at the Emirates Stadium. Maybe he was just having a tour? It didn't bode well with Swans fans with the apparent interest from Arsenal. QPR now seem to be the prime candidates to get his signature, though £4million seems a little cheap if Swansea were to let him go.

However, it seems the club are starting new contract negotiations today, so we'll just have to see what happens. I reckon he will stay, with a plumper wage packet.


Leon Britton

On the other hand we have Leon Britton, who has been nothing but professional in his ten or so years with the club. The good news today is that he has signed a contract extension to keep him with Swansea City until at least July 2017, which is nothing short of great news.


Luc Castaignos

Finally on the subject of transfers is the acquisition of Luc Castaignos, for £6.5million from FC Twente last weekend. Another Dutch international (albeit at U21 level), the 21-year-old scored 14 goals in 31 games last season and looks set to make more of an impact than the past few years of new strikers (Bony the exception). He still needs to complete his medical and agree personal terms, but it's another positive move for the Swans this summer.

World Cup Watch

There's not been any action yet, but already one of ours in injured. Jonathan de Guzman is now a doubt for the World Cup after suffering a hamstring injury in a training session for Holland. While there's still a chance he won't be with the Swans next season (he's still a Villarreal loanee, lest we forget), it's not great news. Let's hope Wilfried bony stays in one piece.

I have a £5 bet on Ivory Coast (as well as £20 on Italy of course...). While they aren't favourites by any length, they've got some quality including the big man. And with online betting odds of around 125/1 them winning will see me pick up a nice sum! (I've jinxed it now, haven't I?)

Brazil 2014 - A final look at who is making the plane!

Quite a bit has changed with Swansea City since my last blog post on the players who may be making the World Cup in Brazil this year.

We've had training ground bust-ups, unexplained player absences, heavy losses and even heavier wins! Some players have been prolific - keeping the Swansea spirit alive - while others have been mere shells of their former selves.

With Swansea safe for another Premier League season, attentions are starting to turn to the World Cup which starts next month. And, for the last time, let's see who may be joining the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Pirlo and Rooney from the Swansea squad!

Michu

Spain

Michu has shot himself in the foot this season. He rightly earned his international debut last year, but since then he has been injured (not really his fault I guess...), moody and lacking the form that made him such a star last season. He has barely featured in Swansea's squad and I honestly don't believe he has done enough to warrant a place in Spain's World Cup squad - and I'm pretty sure most Swans fans would agree with me.

Likelihood: 3/10

Wilfried Bony

Ivory Coast

Wilfried Bony was a bit of a slow starter and initially split the Swans fans into two camps - those who liked him and those who weren't sure he was worth the money. However after the season he has had, he has more than proved his worth - in fact he's proved to be a bit of a bargain at £12million, having almost single-handedly kept Swansea in the Premier League. There is no reason in my eyes that he will miss out on the World Cup.

Likelihood: 10/10

Michel Vorm

Holland

Vorm hasn't had the best of seasons. He has looked tired and much less sharp than previous years - letting in goals that Angel Rangel would probably have saved. He has had his share of injury and his morale obviously dropped, but on his day he's still one of the best goalkeepers Holland has to offer and should be on the plane to Brazil, even if he doesn't make an appearance.

Likelihood: 7/10

Jonjo Shelvey

England

Jonjo Shelvey has proved to be a brilliant addition to Swansea this season. He's had his off days (as have the rest of the squad), but you can rarely question his effort and drive to succeed. He can score goals (just look at his jaw-dropping long-range shot from last weekend), he can pass and he will happily battle for the ball in the centre of the park. However, with the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and Milner in the running for the central midfielders, Shelvey still won't be a frontrunner. He hasn't featured in recent England squads, but he has played well at the Under-21 level and there is still time to change Hodgeson's mind!

Likelihood: 5/10

Roland Lamah

Belgium

Not much has changed with Lamah since we last discussed him. He made his senior international debut in 2009 but has played only 11 times since. The 26-year-old impressed earlier in the season (especially in the Europa League), but hasn't had much of a look in during Garry Monk's tenure. With Belgium definitely taking wingers such as Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Napoli's Dries Mertens and VfL Wolfsburg's Kevin De Bruyne it's unlikely Lamah will be on the plane for Brazil.

Likelihood: 2/10


If you're in the mood for a bet, check out a fine array of World Cup betting offers and enjoy the tournament!

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Brazil 2014 - "You're only here to watch a Swan!"

While it's constantly pissing down in Swansea, the prospect of the summer is absolutely wonderful at the moment. And although it seems a world away, June - and with it the 2014 World Cup in Brazil - will swing around in no time at all.

The summer may mean no Swansea City footballing action, but this year we may still see our favourite Swans players take to the field as we have an array of fine international talent in the squad.

It may be a little premature, but who cares? The World Cup is a big deal and I'm getting my thoughts in before everyone else!

So, from the Swans squad, who is likely to be travelling to Brazil?

Michu

Spain

Spain are again one of the favourites going into this tournament and with good reason - look at their squad! We all know Swansea's beloved Michu made his international debut last year, but has he done enough to warrant a place in the World Cup squad? At this stage of the season... probably not. This is mainly thanks to his injury, although even before the injury he seemed less groundbreaking than last year. And with the likes of Torres, Negredo and Villa battling for spaces (not to mention Spain's attacking midfielders) Michu will have his work cut out to impress in the next five months.

Likelihood: 5/10

Wilfried Bony

Ivory Coast

There's plenty of attacking talent in the Ivory Coast squad for Brazil, including Didier Drogba (their captain) and Roma's Gervinho, but they'd be stupid to leave Wilfried Bony in South Wales this summer! While he's been slow starting for the Swans, he's now knocking them in on a more regular basis. His strength in holding up the ball and his shot power alone should see him on the plane.

Likelihood: 9/10

Michel Vorm

Holland

Vorm - like Michu - has been blighted with injury this season (hasn't everyone in the Swans squad?), so he's not had as many chances to shine as he would like. But he's still likely to be heading to Brazil in the summer as he's one of the best goalkeepers Holland has to offer (possibly after number one choice Maarten Stekelenburg). Providing he stays injury free in the next few months and gets some more first team action with Swansea until May he should be in the squad.

Likelihood: 7/10

Ki Sung-Yeung

South Korea

As it stands, Swans fans are desperate to get Ki back to the club. However it seems neither Michael Laudrup nor Ki are keen for this to happen. Regardless, Ki is still a Swansea City player and he will be going to the finals in Brazil this year. The 24-year-old already has 55 caps for his country and is very likely to add another few this summer. Hopefully he'll be picked ahead of Cardiff's Kim Bo-Kyung!

Likelihood:  9/10

Jonjo Shelvey

England

This is a tough one. Shelvey has been a revelation for Swansea compared to his time at Liverpool and surely it has caught the attention of Roy Hodgson. Then again we know the mentality of the England management over recent years and because Swansea are not a 'big' club, their players are often overlooked - Nathan Dyer and Leon Britton to name two. And, with the likes of old hands Gerrard, Lampard and Milner in the running for the central midfielders, Shelvey won't be the frontrunner. However Shelvey has played well at England's Under-21 level so you never know.

Likelihood: 5/10

Roland Lamah

Belgium

He made his senior international debut in 2009 but has played only 11 times since. The 26-year-old has impressed during the limited game time he's had for the Swans (mainly in the Europa League), but he hasn't played enough to warrant an assumed place in the Belgian squad. With other wingers such as Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne it's unlikely he'll be first on the plane. Still, as with all the players on this list, you never know!

Likelihood: 4/10


Fast forward to the World Cup Final... Spain vs Holland. Penalty shootout. "Michu steps up against his Swansea City teammate Michel Vorm for the chance to win the final..."

We'll see!

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