Your Swansea City headlines on Thursday, October 13.
Obafemi in a 'good space'
Russell Martin admits he's pleased to see Michael Obafemi in a "good space" ahead of Swansea's clash with Burnley.
The striker was the subject of fierce transfer interest from the Clarets in the summer - with Swansea rejecting multiple bids from Vincent Kompany's side for the forward.
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Obafemi was omitted from Swansea's matchday squads for the matches with Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield United but has returned to action in fine fashion, scoring a late winner at West Brom while also putting in vital shifts against Watford and Sunderland.
And ahead of the trip to Turf Moor, Martin admitted he was confident that Obafemi will continue to flourish if he continues to demonstrate the same energy levels he has done since the international break.
"What happened happened didn’t it," said the head coach. "Michael has to give us what he gave us against Watford. He put in a brilliant shift, he was great.
"If he can give us that again, whether he starts or comes on from the bench, I think he’s done really well when he’s come on from the bench, West Brom as well.
"It’s nice to have Michael in a really good space, good energy and working really hard. As long as he can give us that, the rest will come I’m sure."
Cooper and Ogbeta situations explained
Brandon Cooper and Nathanael Ogbeta could leave Swansea on loan in January.
The pair both received transfer interest in the summer, although moves away from south Wales failed to materialise. They have been regulars in the club's Under-21 side of late having been unable to force their way into Russell Martin's first team plans.
And the Swans will explore the option of allowing Cooper and Ogbeta to leave in early 2023 if they continue to remain on the fringes at the Swansea.com Stadium.
"Nat and Brandon had quit a bit of interest to go on loan," Martin told WalesOnline. "It didn't happen for one reason or another.
"They train with us every day but when there's games, especially when they're at home and fairly close, they need to keep their minutes up, to be ready for us, or ready for January. I can't imagine they're going to be here all season playing for the Under-21s.
"January will be different to the summer window. If they're not involved with us by then, I'm pretty sure both boys will go out and play some football, so they have to stay as ready as possible."
Cork's praise for former club
Jack Cork admits he's been impressed with the way Swansea play under Russell Martin.
The midfielder has not featured against his former club since Ki Sung-yueng's late goal earned the Swans victory against the Clarets just three months before the club's relegation from the Premier League.
Nevertheless, Cork says he looks back on his time in south Wales fondly and admits the possession-based approach of Swansea and Burnley makes Saturday's game between the sides a tough one to call.
"I've got really good memories (from my time at Swansea), I made some good friends and I look back fondly," he told our sister title LancsLive.
"My dad was manager there and I made my debut in the football league there. They play really good stuff.
"The Swansea way is to play as much football as they can and play with it on the floor. They do it really well.
"We are probably two of the highest possession teams in the league so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds."
Kompany expects 'different' challenge
Vincent Kompany echoed the thoughts of Cork after stating that Burnley's Championship clash with Swansea is difficult to predict.
Swansea go into the match on the back of four successive wins while Burnley have lost just once in 13 league outings this term. Only a point separates the two sides ahead of the showdown in Lancashire on Saturday, and Kompany believes Swansea will pose a different threat to that they've faced from other sides so far this term.
"First of all you can see how quickly a run of games can actually change things," he said.
"It gives you momentum and they will be looking to try and keep that going. For us, it is about rebuilding our momentum.
"They bring a different challenge to other teams in this league. I really look forward to this game.
"What they do is quite clear and it's embedded into the club and what they have been doing for many years. We want to go over it and have an impact in this game. It poses so many challenges and it's probably a bit more difficult to predict the storyline of the game."
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