It’s getting to that
time of the season where the first teamers find out if they are to be offered a
new deal at the club or if they still have work to do to impress the hierarchy.
With January’s transfer window long shut; players are having to stay put whether
they want to or not but who should get a new deal with the Swans?
Federico Fernandez
Big Fed might not have been my first choice for a new deal
given our defensive issues under Bradders and Guidolin but Paul Clement seems
to be a big fan of the Argentine. So much a fan, that Fernandez has signed a
new deal today that will keep him at the club until 2020 and up until he is 31
years old – what happens then remains to be seen.
Fernando Llorente
He might not be the super star striker we all believed he
would be when he rocked up at the Liberty but he has found his shooting boots
and looks comfortable in the team at last. The rumoured interest from Chelsea
in January will no doubt force the club’s hand into offering Llorente a new
deal that features a fairly large buy-out clause along with a wage increase
that would see him level with the team’s top earners: Britts and Gylfi.
Tom Carroll
I don’t care if he’s only just signed his three and a half
year deal; this lad needs tying down for five years at least. At 24 Carroll has
yet to peak in the traditional sense but he has played a lot of football for a
young lad and most of it has been outside of the Premier League. His work ethic
is beyond any player I’ve seen in a Swans shirt since Ashley Williams first
pulled his jersey on.
We might’ve lost Williams but we cannot lose Carroll if his
early performances are anything to go by – an early extension is essential.
Alfie Mawson
Easily a future Swansea City captain, Mawson hasn’t had the
easiest career of all our first teamers. A lot of wasted time on loan and a
short spell at Barnsley has led him to us and he’s going to be a mainstay in
the team for some time.
He is growing in confidence with every game he plays and
there’s shades of brilliance in his play – one year into a four year deal will
no doubt see an improved contract come the summer to ward off interest from
other clubs.
Paul Clement
An odd choice, some might say, but Clement is the future of
the club. I have heard rumours that Clement was brought in as a short term
option initially given his lack of formal managing experience but we may as
well give him a lengthy deal now – it might stop the board from swinging the
axe if a run of poor results comes our way; stability is needed.