Stuart James
@stujames75
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Senior football writer @TheAthletic. Previously spent 15 years working for the Guardian & Observer newspapers
Joined June 2012
“You’ll never come across anyone that good again.”. Yann Gueho was an outrageously talented French wonderkid, “better than Mbappe”, signed by Chelsea & destined for the top. Sadly, the last hat-trick he scored was in prison. This is his remarkable story.
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Forgive a personal tweet. Set him a challenge to do 100 keepie-uppies to get the new Swansea kit. After practising almost every day for the last four weeks - sweat & tears aplenty - little Roque Mesa did it.
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Today my wife is laying her dad to rest. A proud & loving man who was a Royal Marine for 38 years. No funeral. No wake. No celebration of his life. Only a burial. She’ll be with her brother, sister & mum. Nobody else. All stood apart. Cherish what you have & think of others.
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Just asked for the bill in the coffee shop in Sochi airport and the waitress tells me that the Russia fan I'd been chatting to picked up my tab when he left. This world can be a lovely place at times.
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Bulgarian coach throwing his arms around as if to say: ‘What’s the problem?’.There’s your problem, right there.
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Bollocks to pragmatism. I’ve paid to watch survival football in the Premier League every week, taking a kid along with me and watching our team try to suffocate opponents and sneak a 1-0 - it’s shite. Bielsa and Leeds - give me some of that.
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"Dan James is trending". Twitter has another easy target. How about some perspective. James is only 22 & played more games for Man United in 19/20 than he'd played in his entire career before he joined. Give the lad a break – he needs patience & time.
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Leicester sold Maguire to United for £80m. Brought Soyuncu off the bench & they’ve now got the best defensive record in the PL. Tielemans, who would get into plenty of ‘top six’ midfields, cost £32m. Rodgers & his staff were £8.8m. Leicester are 2nd in the table. And laughing.
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Thought Rhian Brewster was superb today. Some lovely touches, an absolute pest whenever defenders had the ball (picture Vardy), & I really like his movement - clever little run and terrific left-footed shot for his goal. Imagine that’ll be the first of a shedload in his career.
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Amazing stories from the Peru fans taking over Russia. Favourite is the guy who was so worried he wouldn't get a ticket that he tried to put on 24kg so that he could qualify for one of Fifa's "easy access extra-width seats" (you need a BMI that is equal to or exceeds 35kg/m2).
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Ever tried refereeing? I walked away from a game as a teenager – it's a nightmare dealing with the abuse. Twenty five years later & nothing has changed. If you're surprised Darren Drysdale lost his cool, you've got your head in the clouds:.
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Understand Rhian Brewster’s loan to Swansea from Liverpool will be confirmed tomorrow. Clubs agreed deal over last couple of days. Liverpool wanted Brewster to be available for Everton FA Cup tie. He’ll join up with Swansea early next week. Gentle first game to ease him in 👀.
Swansea have made a formal approach to take Rhian Brewster on loan from Liverpool. Nothing agreed yet, other clubs interested, but Swansea are hopeful. Brewster's relationship with Steve Cooper & promise of regular football important factors. More here: .
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Fernando Ricksen, the former Rangers captain & Holland international, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2013. He is now barely able to move & no longer able to talk, & uses his eyes to communicate. I went to a hospice in Airdrie to interview him:
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In July, Abdelhak Nouri, one of Holland’s most talented young players & a beautiful boy, collapsed on the pitch & suffered permanent brain damage. I spent some time in Amsterdam with his wonderful family & those that know him best. This is “Appie’s” story:
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A belated tweet about my trip to the King Power yesterday. Newcastle's support: f*@king outstanding. Bloody hell, you'd want to be a hero for that lot.
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Lukasz Fabianski’s last appearance for Poland. Top keeper. And, as anyone who knows him well will tell you, an even better man.
I'm not crying, you're crying. #fabianski #POLSMR .
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Look after Flynn Downes, West Ham – you've got a bloody good one there.
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Given the shit-show that watching England has been for longer than I wish to remember, Southgate & the players can take a lot of pride from this World Cup. Yes, they came up short here. But this was the tournament when following England became fun again - & that's a massive step.
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Aston Villa staying up by the skin of their teeth at the end of last season feels like a watershed moment for them. Some clubs don’t learn from a season like that & keep circling the plug-hole year after year. Villa, in contrast, seem to have got their act together this summer.
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Understand that Swansea City are in talks with Fabio Borini, the former Chelsea, Liverpool, Sunderland and Milan striker who is available on a free transfer. Borini, 29, had a brief but successful loan spell at Swansea back in 2011 and was a hugely popular player at the club.
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He inspired Erling Haaland, fell in love with Swansea, got a burger for playing for Spain, turned down a fortune at Aston Villa because of his conscience, and now has the right ankle of an 80-year-old. An interview with (the wonderful) @Michuoviedo: .
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Hodgson nails it here 👇🏻. “For me, handball’s a very simple rule. When you deliberately handle it to stop a goal being scored, or to get an advantage, it’s handball. And when the ball hits you & you can do nothing about it, it’s not handball.”. (btw, officials feel the same way).
Roy Hodgson is NOT happy. He says the new handball law is "killing the game".
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Ridiculous finish by Rhian Brewster. Bloody hell, the boy’s a goalscorer.
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▪️Why four academy players in the first team isn’t enough.▪️Lying on the floor to appreciate João Felix.▪️Overloading spaces but not over-coaching players.▪️Pitch-side psychologists & learning how to dance. Two fascinating days inside Benfica’s academy….
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Sooner or later all the rule changes David Elleray has brought in - well into three figures since 2016 - was going to backfire. This is what happens when you keep meddling with the game. The handball rule is a total nonsense - refs are embarrassed by it:.
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Good reason why Sutton’s players were throwing Clive Baxter, 69, in the air. He started at Sutton as a tea-boy at the age of 10. He’s now kitman & works for free. When Baxter got married, his wife took over the catering at the club because it’s the only way she could see him!
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Watched Padraig Amond, Newport's top scorer, coach for 2½ hrs on Monday at the club's academy. Gives up 2 evenings a week to help youngsters. Even turns up 30mins early to do 1-on-1 work with strikers. Not even doing it for a coaching badge - got that already. First-class bloke.
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Renato Sanches was damn good last night. Won most duels, most ball recoveries, 93% passing accuracy. Against France. Lille’s sporting director told @TheAthleticUK that top clubs are interested. Easy to see why. The boy who was broken at Swansea is back:.
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Understand that Arsenal have triggered the release clause in Jamie Vardy's contract. Leicester still determined to keep hold of him.
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Italy🇮🇹 were superb against Belgium🇧🇪. But in the final 21 minutes they delivered a masterclass of a different kind: how to kill a game. The ball was in play for only nine of those minutes. Brilliant game-management?😎.Amusing shithousery?😂.Cheating?🤥.
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Luke Williams is set to be the new Swansea City head coach. Championship club in advanced talks with Notts County over compensation for Williams & his assistant Ryan Harley. Expect them to be in the dugout on Sat. Story with @OliverKay via @TheAthleticFC:.
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Exclusive: Conor Hourihane has agreed to join Swansea City on loan for the remainder of the season. Bournemouth and Forest were also interested in the Aston Villa midfielder. Key deal to get over the line for Swansea and seen as a sign of their intent:
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Late last night, Harri John, who has just turned 17 & came on as a sub for Haverfordwest in the ECL, knocked on the door & asked for a quick word with Tony Pennock, the manager. “I just want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to play in Europe.”. Talent & respect.
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Good luck to Joe Rodon, a terrific lad who thoroughly deserves the chance to play at the highest level. The fee is a totally separate issue and, obviously, nothing to do with him. It's just further evidence of the incompetence of Swansea's board and owners. Clueless.
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A disgrace the way @fcunion_en fans have been treated in Madrid. Not allowed to make our own way to the stadium. Kettled for hours on the metro & streets. Standstill outside. So many people are going to miss kick off at this rate - and that’s not down to the fans in any way.
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Personal take on Swansea? Absolute shambles. They knew for a fortnight Cooper was going. They knew at the start of the summer he was almost certainly leaving. Serious questions need to be asked of Winter. As for the owners, they’re a total waste of time & have been from day one.
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You’ve got a top finisher, Leeds United. Either foot too. A quality player who, realistically, was never going to sign a new deal at Swansea. The fee isn’t a bad piece of business for Swansea… provided a chunk is invested wisely in a new striker. Thanks for the goals, Joel 🙏🏻🦢.
initial payment for Piroe understood to be £10.5m. Potentially rising to around £16m. A good deal for Swansea too, given his contractual position. #lufc.
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Villa are back in the big-time. Forget the John Terry-Frank Lampard narrative. This is Dean Smith's day. What a moment for him. Personal pain with his Dad's very sad situation. But personal pride too. A lifelong Villa fan. Doesn't get much better than that.
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That, Swansea City, is an absolute s***show of a window. The incoming transfer activity in January came down to a loan that was dependent on another loan, on deadline day – always deadline day. Can only be honest about how I feel as a fan: there is zero hope under these owners.
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Hope Tyrone Mings doesn’t remember his England debut for reporting racist abuse. Hope he remembers it for playing with composure & courage, looking totally at home in an England shirt, & being part of a team that destroyed Bulgaria on the pitch & handled themselves with dignity.
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Alex Fletcher was running down the wing on a Tuesday night. Moments later he was fighting for his life after a sickening collision with a pitch-side wall. An interview with an inspirational young man, whose recovery has been described as a miracle.
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A rudderless football club. A chairman totally out of his depth. A sporting director - don’t even have done. A manager who has overseen 7 defeats in 10. A team that has conceded 24 goals in that period. Recruitment? We sign a player because the CB’s suspended. It’s Sunday League.
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Correction. Jamie Paterson is the best player in the world right now. End of.
Salah the best player in the world right now. End of.
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Just about to fly back from Tel Aviv. Struggling for WiFi but the world's most expensive footballer's in range. http://t.co/wzVkUW1Ros.
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Met up with Ruben Neves & Diogo Jota this week at Aromas de Portugal, the coffee shop in Wolverhampton that has become their favourite haunt. We talked about cricket, Francesinha (type of food; not a player) & why Nuno doesn't get invited to dinner:
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Joe Gomez formed a formidable partnership with Van Dijk when Liverpool won the title. But injury, Matip’s form & the signing of Konaté meant Saturday was Gomez’s first PL start for 15 months. What does the future hold for him?. 📝 with @JamesPearceLFC.
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Swansea are holding talks with ex-Chelsea assistant manager Jody Morris about him taking over as head coach. Understand that Swansea also have one other candidate in mind. Clock ticking: 12 days until the new season. Story @TheAthleticUK: .
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Lost his father at 9, became a dad at 15, had a daughter a year later, worked in a factory making screws, & made it as a footballer despite having one leg almost 3cm shorter than the other. the remarkable story of Wesley, Villa’s £22m Brazilian striker:.
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Exclusive: Jamie Vardy has called time on his England career. Vardy turns 32 in January & has told Southgate he wants to focus on club football & spending more time with his family, after accepting he's unlikely to play much for England even if called up:
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That was outstanding, Swansea City. Not just the first ever double - also inflicted a 4-0 hammering on Cardiff’s own patch to go with it. Won both games in style, 7-0 on aggregate, and it was beautiful to watch. 👏🏻 Russell Martin & the players.🦢🦢🦢🦢.
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That late penalty against Wolfsburg… the referee actually watched it on the pitchside monitor. Pointed to the spot and showed Guilavogui a second yellow card too. Shambles.
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“Iron like granite. Just like Real Madrid once did…”. Special atmosphere here in Madrid with @fcunion_en…
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“The way we solve all this is to just go back to penalising deliberate handballs.”. Don't blame VAR or the officials for the farcical handball decisions – they're as frustrated as players, managers & fans. This is IFAB and David Elleray's mess:.
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Today’s double for Jamie Vardy moves him up to 50th position on the Premier League’s all-time scorers list with 77 goals. It’s possible he’ll join the Premier League’s 100 club by the end of next season. He was playing non-league football up until the age of 25. Bloody amazing.
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“He was embarrassed at how good he was - he never wanted to be the centre of attention.”. Joey Beauchamp. A man of few words. A footballer with so much talent. Thanks to all those who contributed to this piece on a reluctant hero. Rest in peace, Joey.
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At Wrexham… bloody hell, something special is happening here. Atmosphere incredible. A club reborn.
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Guess it’s at this stage that you point out that Swansea’s net spend under Steve Cooper is about minus £45million.
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Understand Liverpool have formally rejected Swansea's loan offer for Harry Wilson. Financially the deal proposed was a non-starter. Swansea were in the driving seat from a football perspective. Derby favourites now - no agreement yet. Remains to be seen if Swansea go back.
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A lot of players are passing through clubs during their career. And that’s totally understandable. Now & again, though, you come across a player who, emotionally, if I can put it like that, invests a bit more. McBurnie wasn’t just in the away end. He was running the show.
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Never fancy the Swans to score from a corner. But this is remarkable!
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Piece on Dan James, the speed machine who has signed for Man United. Pace to burn, huge potential, popular lad, pleasure to watch in a Swansea shirt. "It’s just off-your-seat stuff, like ‘wow’.” .And what a thoughtful gesture by his parents last season:.
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Big win. There’s a ruthless efficiency to this Swansea team. So much to admire about their resilience & discipline. Bennett outstanding. Guehi just Guehi (a star). Fulton a midfield dynamo, & Ayew’s personality huge. As for Hourihane, a game-changer at this level in every sense.
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Yes, Vardy!.Becomes the 29th member of the Premier League’s 100 club. Still playing non-league football when he was 25. Made his Premier League debut at the age of 27. Hell of an achievement. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻.
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Some welcome and unexpected news at Swansea: Matt Grimes, who was out of contract in the summer, has signed a new deal until the summer of 2025. Enjoy your Friday.
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So much to admire about Sergio Aguero at City. Count myself fortunate & privileged to have been at Stadio San Paolo on the night that he broke Eric Brook’s Manchester City goalscoring record. I’d say it was a typical Aguero goal. What’s a typical Aguero goal?.A brilliant finish.
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If Spurs fans are wondering who Joe Rodon is, he's the Swansea boy with the green boots who pinned a rejection letter from his country on his bedroom door until Wales picked him. He can play, too. This is his story (huge thanks to his lovely parents):.
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Like this Port Vale corner routine a lot. 👏🏻. Yeah, yeah, I know, Saturday afternoon and I’m getting excited by Port Vale set-pieces. Scotland’s qualification was a great story this week but, bloody hell, an international weekend during lockdown is testing me.
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A deal has been agreed in principle between Swansea City and Seattle Sounders for Jordan Morris to join on loan. Subject to paperwork being completed, the USA international is expected to arrive in Swansea next week. Exciting signing. More details here:
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Brendan Rodgers is an excellent manager. When you think where Leicester were before he took over. they’re transformed. As for Maddison, that was an excellent post-match interview. Must have been away when they did media training. Yeah, he’s self-confident. He’s interesting too.
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Interviewed Per Mertesacker at Arsenal. Talked usual stuff - Merkel, Keown, Brexit, Drake & Spike, his guinea pig:
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I went to Nigel Pearson’s house & we ended up in his local (after being served a cup of tea in an Alex Scott mug). It was great fun. We talked about horses, cows & the ostrich, Bristol City’s promotion hopes, & why he shouldn’t be a football manager.
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Graham Potter’s Dad had been seriously ill since November. Not all father-son relationships are as close as theirs. The last two months Graham’s been through a lot of heartache (he lost his Mum in the summer too), but he’s remained devoted to his job at Brighton. Not easy, that.
Our deepest condolences go to Graham Potter and his family following the death of his father. #BHAFC 🔵⚪️.
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I can’t forgive Andre Marriner. A mate feels the same about Mike Dean. In fact, fans everywhere think refs are biased against their club. Do we believe that? Is it not more likely that the ref has had a bad game?. Maybe we see what we want to see. 🥫🎩.
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Best part of £50m there. All playing for the U23s together at one point. Well done to all those who worked with them in the academy set-up at Swansea and beyond 👏🏻.
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No surprise to hear Wilder, who strikes me as a bloody good bloke as well as a top manager, say he has no issue with McBurnie being in the Swansea end last Sunday. “Quite refreshing”. Some people get football.
“We’ve rightly recieved a letter from the FA but I can relate, there was a time when I was player/manager that I’d rush back to the Lane. I have no problem with Oli going back to watch them, he has a big connection there. I think it’s quite refreshing to be honest” CW on Oli.
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Understand Swansea have agreed a new contract with Jay Fulton. The midfielder’s current deal was up this summer. Fulton has emerged as a key player for the club under Steve Cooper. Tackle stats the best in the Championship but he’s been increasingly impressive with the ball too.
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WBA are very good. Swansea are a nothing team & have been for months. No identity. Can’t pass. Don’t press. Soft. You’d want to play against them. Midfield’s abject. Grimes obviously having a tough time. Not alone. Some are hiding. 14 points from last 14 games. Alarm bells.
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Leicester are flying. Amazing to think Brendan Rodgers was ready to return to Swansea 3yrs ago. Everything was in place. He wanted to do it. Then the calls stopped. Guidolin got the job after winning a couple of meaningless games, & then Bob Bradley followed. The rest is history.
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Frustrated by the failure to sign a No9 in Jan, no relationship with the CEO, another summer of selling the best players, & an acceptance from both parties that this journey had run its course… & that’s before we get to the timing of Steve Cooper’s exit:.
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Thought I’d give a ‘bubble trip’ a go. So I went to Cardiff by coach at 0745, via a service station, & police kindly stopped all the traffic for us. Sang a lot, interviewed Oli McBurnie & reminded him of his responsibilities - to keep supporting the Swans:.
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Hope the damage is not as bad as feared with Joe Gomez. Aged 23, he’s had enough bad luck with injuries. He’s a terrific player &, as anyone who has spent some time with him will tell you, a really humble, likeable bloke. @CaoimheSport with the latest:.
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Ever wondered what it's really like being a football manager on a matchday?.I spent seven hours with Michael Flynn, the Newport County boss, on Saturday. From his house to the team meetings at the ground to the home dressing room, every door was open.
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Need to get a few things off my chest. Brilliant that Daniel James stayed, obviously, but what on earth does it say about how bad things are at Swansea that a transfer window that ends with not a single signing & “only” three players leaving is viewed as some sort of triumph 1/11.
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Swansea have agreed a deal to take Hannes Wolf on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach. Aged 22, the Austrian can play as an attacking midfielder or winger. Joined Monchengladbach from RB Leipzig last year for around £8m. Deal should be confirmed tomorrow:.
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Mindful of how hard Tyrone Mings worked to come back from a bad knee injury in 2015, when he snapped the cruciate & medial ligaments in his knee on his Bournemouth debut, & also what a good place he was in with his football at the end of last season, tonight feels really cruel.
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Quiet summer ahead. Need a GK (Fisher only one fit), first-choice left & right backs plus cover, & 2 strikers to replace Piroe & Obafemi. Plus, there’s zero attacking width (time to give one of the academy boys a go?). Oh, need a manager too. Most of all, Swansea need new owners.
Swansea City can confirm the club’s retained list ahead of the 2023-24 season. 👉
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Celtic moving close to signing Matt O'Riley from MK Dons for £1.5m. Ex Fulham, very talented player, linked with a number of clubs in the Championship and across Europe. Story here, with @peterrutzler:.
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All the makings of another abysmal deadline day ahead for Swansea. Dan James is set to sign for Leeds. He wants to go & a deal of some description will get agreed. Understand there's a very strong possibility that Leroy Fer & Jefferson Montero will leave too.
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Writing letters to Swansea, Fantasy football, that Fellaini save, & why leaving Arsenal was the making of him - an interview with West Ham's Lukasz Fabianski, the busiest top-flight goalkeeper in Europe in the last 5 seasons (and also a lovely bloke):
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As per @SamWallaceTel, Conor Gallagher is joining Swansea on loan from Chelsea. Official confirmation tomorrow. Another impressive loan for Swansea, who’ve already taken Liverpool’s Rhian Brewster & Chelsea’s Marc Guehi. Steve Cooper hugely influential in convincing the players.
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