Swansea City should revisit playmaker deal after Southampton FC blank

Swansea City should revisit playmaker deal after Southampton FC blank

The team’s spirits were high after two Christmas wins against QPR and Luton Town, and there was a quiet optimism that they may be in the play-off conversation come May. However, they have had a torrid couple of weeks since.

The team suffered a 4-0 loss to Portsmouth on New Year’s Day, followed by a 1-1 draw with West Brom three days later. They were then trounced 3-0 by Southampton in the FA Cup, leaving supporters disappointed.

Swansea struggled for goals early in the season, failing to score in the entire month of October, and similar issues have resurfaced in recent weeks.

Swansea have scored just one goal in their last three games, and they’ve become too easy to beat, with a lack of imagination and pace among their players.

Opposition teams know they can sit back and watch Swansea dominate the ball because they lack the deadly pass to create frequent huge chances, which is a serious issue that will prevent them from growing unless corrected.

When things go right for the Swans, they can be a truly good team, as evidenced by their first-half performance against QPR on Boxing Day, but they lack the imagination to do so on a consistent basis.

The Swans were linked with IK Sirius forward Noel Milleskog in the summer, but their interest appears to have cooled this month, according to Swedish media.

On paper, Milleskog appears to be an ideal fit for Swansea, and he might be the missing piece of the puzzle that helps the attack click, with Luke Williams lacking a true attacking midfield option.

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Myles Peart-Harris was brought in to be that player, but he’s mostly been played on the wing this season, while Jisung Eom, who can also play as a 10, has been deployed in his more natural position of wing.

To be fair to Liam Cullen, he has thrived playing deeper than his customary striker position, but he may lack the creative spark that someone like Milleskog provides.

In 2024, the Swedish playmaker scored 11 goals and four assists in 33 games, leading his team to ninth place in the Allsvenskan league.

The 22-year-old can play in a range of attacking positions, which would be

His versatility to play across the front line, combined with his natural position as an attacking midfielder, is critical for Swansea.

He definitely has an eye for goal, and at 22 years old, he’s a player who might be developed and sold for a profit in the future, which would appeal to Swansea’s management.

After being associated with Milleskog for so long, it’s surprising how interest has waned now that the market has opened, and a lack of goals in recent games, especially a lackluster display away to Southampton, suggests the Swans should reconsider a deal for the Swede this month.

Swansea made the right decision to offload Jamie Paterson in the summer due to his age and refusal to sign a new contract, but they needed to bring in a similar player, which they have yet to accomplish.

Swansea might profit from the 33-year-old’s eight goals and six assists last season as an attacking midfielder.

In retrospect, Paterson’s failed move to the MLS indicates that Swansea made the correct decision in not pushing the boat out to keep him at the club, but they should have utilized the money they saved by not re-signing Paterson to bring in a younger option like Milleskog.

Swansea should make signing an offensive midfielder, ideally Milleskog, a priority this month, as it is unclear how long Cullen can maintain his outstanding run of form while playing out of position.

Swansea’s new owners will face their first genuine test of putting their money where their mouth is in January, and they cannot afford to leave Luke Williams short in key positions for the second half of the season.

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