These are your Swansea City headlines on Monday, July 3.
Josh Key 'having medical'
TeamTalk report that Josh Key is having a medical at Swansea after a move was agreed for the 23-year-old.
Key is a free agent after his contract with Exeter City expired. Swansea will have to pay the Grecians compensation should the move go through as the right-back is under 24.
Key has been on Swansea's radar for some time and would follow Josh Ginnelly into the Swansea.com Stadium this summer.
Meanwhile, Michael Duff says he wants to add pace to his Swansea City team.
The new manager believes "any successful team has pace" and has already recognised the lack of it in his squad. Former boss Russell Martin acknowledged it too at the backend of last season and Duff now wants to rectify that this summer. He also feels there could be a marked improvement from set-plays, both defensively and offensively.
“The one thing the squad lacks at the moment is pace," he said. "Any successful team has pace. I’m not coming into a club that has lost 25 games and just sacked a manager who has lost the dressing room. I’m not saying what Russell did was wrong, I just see the game slightly different to him. I want to evolve what he has already done.
“If I’d have come in pre-season, the manager had been sacked and there were no players, I might have recruited differently. People said my Barnsley team last season were a really good football team. I don’t talk about me and my philosophy, I just want my team to win playing good football and entertaining the fans.
“There are 46 games in a season. In five of those you are going to be brilliant and win 4-0. Don’t worry about them. Then there are going to be another five when you are awful and you’re going to lose 5-0. Don’t worry about them, either. There are 36 games in between in which you have to find a way to win. If you have to tweak your approach, then you tweak it.
"We can definitely get better at set-plays. Swansea didn’t score enough last season and conceded too many. They conceded from 22 set plays, with the average being 14. There’s eight goals difference just getting to the average. They scored 11, and the average is 14. There’s another three. There are 11 goals you can find and that could get you a couple more wins.
“There is already a decent platform to build on, now it is about adding some different detail. We need to look at the squad and improve around the edges of the pitch. I don’t think that observation is going to blow the mind of any of the supporters."
Tykes legend aims barb at Duff
Neil Redfearn has aimed a bizarre dig at Michael Duff, claiming Swansea will return to "being average" under his watch.
Redfearn was replying to a tweet from Swansea City's official Twitter account from Saturday's press conference, with the former player claiming Duff's old team Barnsley "choked" against Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off final, a game which saw the Tykes lose in heartbreaking, last-minute fashion at Wembley.
Redfearn said Duff getting Barnsley out of League One was the "easy bit" against a "very average" Owls team.
He wrote on Twitter: "Missed out on the easy bit, getting Barnsley out of Lge 1 ( too good for Lge 1 struggle in the champ) and choked at Wembley v a very average Sheff W , so good luck Swans back to being average."
Redfearn made more than 290 appearances for the Yorkshire side and has managed Leeds United and Rotherham United, among others.
Flexible formations for the new man
Duff says Swansea will take a flexible approach to their formations next season.
Under previous head coach Russell Martin, Swansea were married to their principles and rarely strayed away from what he wanted in terms of style and set-up.
Duff says he sees the game "slightly differently" to the now Southampton boss and says adding to the team's wide areas will be a priority this summer.
“We are weak in wide areas and that’s where we need to strengthen, but I’m excited by the group," he said. "I’m not fixated on one formation. At Barnsley last year we spent all pre-season playing 3-5-2, got beaten in the first game of the season, didn’t like what I saw because it exposed things we hadn’t seen in pre-season, and then spent the next two months playing 3-4-3.
“We then went a month without scoring a goal but had 65% of the ball. I don’t see the point of having 65% possession if you don’t score goals. We went back to 3-5-2 and went on an unbelievable run. It’s up to me to be adaptable.
“I have an idea of what I’m going to do, but I can’t tell you if it’s going to be a back three or four. It doesn’t really make that much difference.
“Russell made no secret of the fact he wanted to play 3-4-3 and he made no apologies for that. I just see the game slightly differently. Everybody wants to keep the ball but when we played Bolton in the play-offs they had 70% possession and only had one shot on target in two games. That’s why I want to be flexible.
“I want us to be really good with the ball, but if teams are trying to beat you up you have to be able to counter it. It’s about adding that part to your game. There are three elements in football – in possession, out of possession and transition.
“Everyone knows that Swansea are unbelievable with the ball, but can they improve in the other two areas? I don’t think I’m being disparaging in saying I think they can. That’s why they finished where they did. If they were as good in the other two phases as they were in possession, they would have been winning the league."
Whittaker remains on long list
Our colleagues at our sister title The Daily Record in Scotland report that Morgan Whittaker remains on Rangers' long list of targets.
The Gers had three bids for the Swansea striker knocked back in January, and with manager Michael Beale a known fan of the Derby product, it was expected that they would return this summer for the 22-year-old.
However, WalesOnline understands Rangers aren't expected to revive their interest at this moment in time. It hasn't been entirely ruled out, but it appears unlikely at this stage. Coventry City have thrown their hat in the ring, though.
