Your Swansea City headlines for Friday, September 30.
Benda grateful for loan spells
Steven Benda admits he's a better goalkeeper following his loan spells with Swindon Town and Peterborough United.
The German helped Swindon gain promotion from League Two during the curtailed 2019/20 campaign while he was a prominent figure for the Posh last term before sustaining an injury.
"It was massive, especially the Swindon one coming out of the 23s and experiencing first-team football, that helped me a lot and my confidence," said the goalkeeper.
"I guess, at Swindon, we were doing really well until Covid hit, so that cut our season short. And then with Peterborough, we were struggling a bit as a team but for me personally it was good getting that game-time. With the injury, it's just unlucky. Sometimes you can't really do much about it, you just have to keep going.
"As a goalkeeper or outfielder you want to play football so for me playing now, that’s what I want and that’s what I enjoy most. I’m quite a positive person so I always work hard and put myself in a position where I’m ready and hopefully you get that chance."
Having fallen behind both Ben Hamer and Andy Fisher in SA1 last season, Benda was widely expected to leave Swansea on a permanent basis in the summer. However, since returning to the side, Benda has kept clean sheets in two of his three Championship outings.
And while there was interest in the 23-year-old during the transfer window, Benda says he prepared himself for any eventuality ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. "Obviously it wasn't great for me last season. For me it was a case of getting fit, being ready for anything that happens and ultimately I stayed here," he concluded.
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Loan decisions explained
Russell Martin hopes Morgan Whittaker and Swansea's other out-on-loan players will follow Ollie Cooper's lead in thriving after a spell away from the club.
Cooper spent the duration of the 2021/22 season on loan at Newport County and excelled at Rodney Parade. He has since broken into the first team at Swansea under Martin and has been a shining light since being introduced into the set-up.
And Martin has cited Cooper's progress as an example for players such as Whittaker, Jordon Garrick and Kyle Joseph to follow. "It's about assessing, are they really ready to help us and become starters here? Do we need them in the squad because they give us something different off the bench and we might need them? Or, actually, do they need to go and play 30 to 40 games at a really competitive level? Will they benefit more from that," said the head coach when asked about those out on loan.
"The decision with Ollie Cooper last season is really paying dividends for us now. There was no questioning Ollie's talent but he hadn't played any football and he was 22 when we first came in. It's still really young, but in football terms, by then, a lot of our players have played nearly 100 games by that point.
"To play football at a lower level, but to play every week and lots of minutes, is a huge part of their development. It's assessing if they're better off being here and playing in fits and starts which is probably more suited to a younger player, not someone who is 21 or 22.
"If they're 21 or 22 they need to be playing football. If that's not here they need to be out playing regularly. Morgan had a taste of that last season. He didn't establish himself as a starter all the time at Lincoln City, but now he has the chance to do that at Plymouth, and he's started really well which is brilliant.
"That'll be a huge part of his development and his learning of what he needs to do to come back here and play. Kyle Joseph is the same. He played at Cheltenham last season, was in and out, changed position and he decided to come back and fight for his place.
"Kyle is really unfortunate that we have two of our top players and assets in that position so it wouldn't benefit him to sit here and be third-choice striker, he needs to go and play football. Everyone is different."
Contract hopes
Russell Martin admits he is keen to see Joel Latibeaudiere and Ryan Manning extend their stays with Swansea.
Both players see their current deals expire next summer, although, speaking at a fans' forum this week, chief executive Julian Winter confirmed the club were in talks with the pair over potential contract extensions.
And ahead of his side's return to action following the international break, Martin cited the pair's physical condition and volume of games under his leadership as proof that they are assets to the club.
"Hopefully we can keep them both," the head coach told WalesOnline. "It's out of my hands unfortunately, but what is in our hands is how they get treated, how they feel.
"They both feel that they're in the best shape they've ever been in, and everything suggests that; their body fats, physical testing and they both love being at this club and playing in the way we do.
"I hope that stands us in good stead as it means that we're more likely to do it. I've just got to keep my fingers crossed, keep those boys happy and hope that we can get it done in the end."
Hull boss axed
Shota Arveladze has been sacked by Hull City following his side's 3-0 loss to Swansea.
The Georgian took charge of the Tigers in January but was axed ahead of his side's return to action following the international break. He becomes the seventh boss to leave a Championship club already this term, meaning more than a quarter of the sides in the division have already changed their head coach since the start of the current campaign.
Russell Martin is now the sixth longest-serving boss in the second tier of English football, despite only being installed as Swansea head coach on August 1 last year.
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