It was with little surprise that the swans announced another signing this morning, that of Liam Walsh on a free transfer. The ex Bristol City player who has had loans at Birmingham, Coventry and Yeovil has battled through numerous stumbling blocks since he left Everton in 2016, having been there since he was five years of age. It has been a tough time for Walsh.

He has only played 62 professional games over the last five years, mostly down to non selection or injury, giving this signing for Swansea City an element of chance about it. Walsh isn’t a goal scorer, however he describes himself as someone who wants to run games. Talking to the Swans official site he said “I am energetic on the pitch, I am quite loud on the pitch, I am a proper winner and if things are not going our way, I try my best to try and turn it round. “I like getting on the ball, I like running games and there is nothing better than winning. I am very passionate about that” That’s good to hear, but Liam was found it very difficult, other than during his last loan spell at Coventry to do that. And let’s be fair Coventry had a wonderful season with Walsh scoring 4 goals in 30 matches. It was possibly his most successful season in football to date.

Unfortunately Walsh had a stop start season last time around with Bristol City starting only three games. Injury and non selection were again the issue, but it hasn’t harmed his confidence as he joins the swans officially today. Talking about Steve Cooper he said, “The belief he was putting in me, and the fact he has known me from a young age helped me a lot. He knows the type of player I am. “There was a time a year or two ago when he wanted me here, and I have spoken to him a few times since then. You look at what he has created here, with reaching the play-offs, and I think Swansea are going in a good direction and going for promotion, which is what I want. “I also spoke to Korey a lot about the possibility of coming here, and he was on my case pretty much every single day to be honest”

Cooper is supported again by the club
As we discussed yesterday Steve Cooper got his man Joel Piroe last week, and now he gets another target he has been chasing for a couple of years. That’s two players clearly who he wants to trust in a Swansea City jersey. We are still to hear from the manager on any matter for six weeks now, plus Cooper is also not featured in any of the training galleries from this week. And yes, we know he is in Surrey. There is also speculation that Matt Grimes will leave the club, and there has been ‘absolutely no’ speculation on any other players, no interest from any club, or inquiries at all. Having said that if Grimes does leave, the swans will lose an influential game changing midfielder and captain, this would certainly leave a huge gap in Cooper’s game plan. Increasing the pressure on Smith and Walsh, along with Fulton weakens the swans, in my humble opinion of course. Even if Grimes remains at the club for now there will come a time when he will need replacing.

Cooper will know the midfield is still weak to an extent, even with the inclusion of Walsh, pretty much unproven at the higher championship level, it’s a gamble. Hourihane last season made an immediate impact, but then became the grey man in midfield the majority of the time, especially when he was needed to fulfil the promotion dream. To that extent Walsh is potentially at the same level as Ryan Manning, two very similar players, capable of bursts of energy, but not game changers, as yet that is.

Swansea City supporters will still be questioning the three signings to date, very much unproven, but they will provide us with an exciting time finding out I’m sure. That big signing isn’t evident, Thomas Henry was the possible, but that is now quiet, and if our radar has been tuned in right we should hear about one more by Saturday ? Yes, these signings are unremarkable as we stand, but it does point to strengthening of a squad that fell short last season. And that for now, is reassuring.

Photographs licensed from Reuters