Swansea City

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Luke Williams says he trusts his squad to deliver for Swansea City despite the fact a number of players could soon be leaving the club.

Swansea have seven senior players whose contracts are due to expire this summer.

Of those, Jamie Paterson, Liam Cullen and Liam Walsh are likely to be involved at Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

Head coach Williams also has six loan players - Carl Rushworth, Bashir Humphreys, Harrison Ashby, Charlie Patino, Charles Sagoe Jr and Jamal Lowe – who will bid farewell to Swansea in just over a fortnight’s time.

When asked whether having so many players who may be coming to the end of their time in Wales could be an issue, Williams said: “It’s a very good question because that is potentially a very big problem.

“That’s for me to manage. Fortunately, we have a lot of professional guys. I trust there’s a group of players in there who want to perform.”

After a season of struggle, Swansea are all but safe in the Championship having moved nine points clear of the relegation places thanks to last weekend’s win over Rotherham United.

As his side prepare to face a Huddersfield side who are currently in the bottom three, Williams says Swansea owe it to the rest of the division “to play the game correctly and apply ourselves correctly”.

“It’s not just Huddersfield that are fighting, it’s several other clubs, so we have a responsibility to the competition to make sure that we turn up right,” he added.

“There’s plenty of motivation in the group to go and put on a good performance.

“I am confident we will get that. It’s a big game for us, to test if we are going to try to move forward or make the same mistakes.”

After Huddersfield, Swansea face a testing trip to Norwich City before a final-day home game against Millwall.

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Swansea City look like being in the market for a host of new signings once again this summer, and head coach Luke Williams says transfer work is well under way.

Swansea go to Huddersfield Town on Saturday having all but secured their Championship status courtesy of back-to-back home wins over Stoke City and Rotherham United.

And while Williams is keen to finish a difficult campaign with something of a flourish, he already has half an eye on next season.

“We have had some very good meetings with the recruitment team,” he said.

“Step by step we try to narrow down a long list of players who potentially are targets for us.”

As things stand, Swansea look almost certain to be in the market for a goalkeeper this summer, as well as two full-backs and possibly a central defender.

They will also look to strengthen in the centre of midfield, out wide and up front.

“I think we all have to be really excited about trying to get a really competitive group of players together, seeing if we can have an identity, a way of playing, and see where that takes us,” Williams added.

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Swansea City head coach Luke Williams says Joe Allen and Przemyslaw Placheta are unlikely to play again this season.

Midfielder Allen, 34, has been out with a toe injury since 1 April, while winger Placheta, 26, has not featured since suffering a hamstring injury at Sheffield Wednesday on 29 March.

Williams fears that like veteran defender Kyle Naughton, who has a hamstring injury, Allen and Placheta will not play an part in Swansea’s three remaining games in 2023-24.

“Joe is progressing well, no hiccups so far, but still has a way to go,” Williams said. “More than likely [his season is finished].

“Pzemy has some complications in terms of getting very accurate feedback from scans and ultrasounds. Most likely [it is the end of his season].”

Allen, Placheta and Naughton are among the Swansea players who, as things stand, are out of contract this summer, with talks over their futures ongoing.

There is some good news from the treatment room going into Saturday’s trip to Huddersfield Town, with centre-back Nathan Wood back in contention having missed wins over Stoke City and Rotherham United with a calf problem.

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Saturday's trip to Huddersfield Town in the Championship will no doubt stir memories of Swansea City’s first ever Wembley success, in the Autoglass Trophy final 30 years ago.

Frank Burrows’ Swans beat the Terriers 3-1 on penalties at the old Wembley Stadium after the game had finished 1-1 in extra time. Huddersfield were managed at the time by Neil Warnock.

The 30th anniversary was celebrated by the club during the recent 1-0 defeat at home to Queens Park Rangers, with players donning a retro kit reminiscent of the one worn in 1994.

John Cornforth, who captained that team, was one of the former players presented to the crowd before the QPR game.

“It's much appreciated what the club has done, it's been 30 years,” Cornforth told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

“I was the first captain to lead the Swans out at Wembley, scored a goal [in the penalty shootout], won man of the match and lifted the trophy, it's what dreams are made of.

“I've always said it's the forgotten team, when you look at when they got in the Premier League, they've done ever so well. You also look at the stadium now compared to what we used to play at, the Vetch.

“I was very proud to captain that side. I was very passionate and proud to pull on the Swansea shirt."

But Cornforth’s overriding memory of that April afternoon is what happened after the match.

“Leaving Membury services in my boxer shorts," he added.

“Swansea didn't have much money in those days, so we had to stop off at the services with the fans and I lost my shirt, my shoes, my trousers and my tie and I had to walk back on the bus in my boxer shorts.

“Thankfully there was no camera phones around in those days”.

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Swansea City will head to Austria this summer as Luke Williams’ pre-season plans begin to take shape.

The Swans are keen for a settled summer having seen last year’s preparations affected by managerial uncertainty.

Russell Martin’s protracted departure for Southampton and Michael Duff’s subsequent confirmation as his replacement came just 24 hours before players returned to training.

Swansea will hope they can hit the ground running going into Williams’ first full campaign, with details of pre-season in the process of being finalised.

Williams’ squad will spend a week in Austria with two games being lined up as part of the time away.

The former Notts County boss is keen for an intense period abroad before returning a week before the Championship campaign kicks off on 10 August.

Swansea are likely to squeeze in a home friendly the week before their competitive return.

Williams - Martin's former assistant at Swansea - was named as Duff's successor in January and admitted it was not ideal to be introducing new ideas without a pre-season, describing it as putting the "wings on a plane after it took off".

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Swansea City are waiting on results of a scan to see if Przemyslaw Placheta will play again this season.

And his fitness could be a factor in a decision on the wideman’s future.

Placheta suffered a hamstring injury in the Good Friday draw at Sheffield Wednesday.

There had been hopes of a speedy return only for a further problem to be discovered.

Swans boss Luke Williams is now waiting to see if the 26-year-old will be available before the end of the campaign.

Swansea’s final game comes against Millwall at the Swansea.com Stadium on 4 May.

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Placheta has caught the eye since arriving at Swansea, making 10 appearances after the club took over the final months of his contract at Norwich.

He has stated he would be interested in his extending his Swansea stay beyond the summer.

It remains to be seen whether the Poland international will be offered a new deal.

“It’ll be a discussion around the table with all the people involved,” Williams said.

“Let’s get some more information what’s going on with the hamstring, see if we can get him back before the end of the season, if not let’s take it all into consideration and see how we feel.”

Williams is likely to give a further update before Saturday's trip to Huddersfield.

But he is already facing up to being without veteran defender Kyle Naughton for the remainder of the season, the 35-year-old having also picked up a hamstring problem.

Naughton suffered the injury during Swansea’s south Wales derby win over Cardiff last month, and Williams has conceded it will be difficult for the former Tottenham man to figure again this term.

With Naughton also among those out of contract, Williams says similar discussions will take place.

“When he got fit and on the pitch I was very happy with his performances, I thought he played excellent football for us and has a top mentality,” said Williams of Naughton, who has made more than 300 appearances for the club.

“It’s another discussion because every single decision has an impact on five other decisions and we have to balance everything up. It’s very complicated because we have six loans and many players out of contract, and we have to factor in if someone’s impossible to keep hold of. All of these things have to come into play.

“We’re in a situation of uncertainty with many things, but we have to try and join everything together. It’s challenging, but it’s what we have to try and do.”

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Swansea City forward Josh Ginnelly is back on the training pitch as he continues his recovery from a season-ending injury.

Ginnelly, a summer signing from Hearts, was ruled out of the majority of his first campaign in south Wales after rupturing his Achilles.

He posted on social media, external on Monday after completing a first day back on the grass since suffering the injury in last September's 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

There is still no prospect of the 27-year-old featuring before the end of the season and he is yet to resume full training following the first individual session.

But his return to the pitch is a significant step as he builds towards full fitness.

Ginnelly has been sidelined since long before Luke Williams arrived as Swans boss, having been predecessor Michael Duff's first signing as head coach.

He made just eight appearances - including two league starts - before the injury, which came four days after scoring his first league goal for the club in the 1-1 draw at Queens Park Rangers.

A former Burnley and Preston player, Ginnelly's pace was seen as a key attribute after joining on a free following time in Scottish football with Hearts.

Williams has shown he is eager for greater pace in attack after utlising Brazilian winger Ronald and former Norwich wideman Przemyslaw Placheta since they signed during the January transfer window.

Placheta is currently injured himself having picked up a hamstring problem during the Easter fixtures, although Williams is hopeful he could return before the final day visit of Millwall on 4 May.

Joe Allen (toe) and Kyle Naughton (hamstring) are also all out with no firm timescale for their returns provided as yet.

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Head coach Luke Williams has challenged Swansea City to deliver a top-half Championship finish after victory over Rotherham United all but secured their second-tier status.

After a season of struggle, Swansea are nine points clear of the relegation places with only three games of 2023-24 remaining.

The Swans go to 22nd-placed Huddersfield Town next weekend, then face a testing trip to Norwich City before a final-day home game against Millwall.

Williams’ side are five points adrift of 12th-placed Bristol City in 14th – but the former Notts County boss says reaching the top half is possible.

"That's a good challenge,” he said. “Let’s go and make really good performances and see how many points we can pick up.

“At the end of it that (the top half) is quite a respectable performance maybe.”

Swansea dominated possession and territory against Rotherham but could not break down the EFL’s leakiest defence until Andy Rinomhota headed into his own net in the final quarter.

Williams acknowledges that his side must find greater cutting edge next season.

"We're nearly a good team, I feel,” he said.

"I need to continue to try and find solutions for the team, try to help them be more creative. I need to get the balance right because sometimes if you try to be creative, you leave the back door open and concede.

"Getting that balance is a huge challenge for me. But of course we need to get the right personnel who are going to thrive.

“We have a really big summer and then we can do something exciting.”