Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Ian Mitchelmore

Swansea City chief sets the record straight over Jamie Paterson amid swirling speculation

Julian Winter has stated Jamie Paterson never refused to play nor did he ever ask to leave Swansea City during his contract dispute with the club's owners.

The attacker missed all five of his side's Championship fixtures in January after stating he was not in the right frame of mind to take to the field.

It comes after the club triggered a one-year extension option in the 30-year-old's contract - with the player himself left disappointed that the terms of his initial deal were not improved.

Queens Park Rangers were among the clubs to show an interest in the former Bristol City man during the January transfer window, although Swansea rejected three bids from the Londoners.

The night before Swansea's Championship clash with Blackburn Rovers, Paterson took to social media to give an update on his return to action.

He posted on Instagram: "Looking forward to be back doing what I love most."

And Swansea's chief executive Winter went on to stress that Paterson - who had a brief period of training with the club's under-23s - was never fined during his absence from first team proceedings.

"As everyone is aware, Jamie Paterson returned to first team training this week after a difficult period at the club," he said in his programme notes.

"There was a lot of speculation that he could have departed in the January transfer window and while there were offers for him, these fell well short of our valuation.

"It has been well documented that Jamie wasn't in the right frame of mind to play over the past few weeks, but the club has been supportive of him and his situation, and staff at the training ground have been unequivocal in their backing as well as his relationship with Russell (Martin) remaining strong.

"He never once asked for a move away from the club, nor did he ever refuse to play. There were also reports that the club had fined him - again, this was never the case.

"Jamie is a Swansea City player and we look forward to having him back in the squad and doing what he does best, and that's playing football and helping us get results."

Paterson made his first Swans appearance since December 11 as he helped Russell Martin's men beat Blackburn Rovers 1-0 on Saturday.

The 30-year-old registered an assist for Michael Obafemi's first-half winner against Tony Mowbray's men at the Swansea.com Stadium.

The Swans return to action against Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium on Tuesday night. Kick-off is at 7:45pm.

For the latest Swansea City news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up for our newsletter here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.