Michael Duff: Swansea City boss targets forward recruit in January window

Michael Duff wants to strengthen his Swansea City squad, particularly in attack, in the January transfer window.

Swansea recruited eight players on permanent deals in the summer, as well as five loan signings.

Ahead of Saturday’s home Championship game with Sunderland, the Swans sit 13th in the table after 14 matches.

“We’ll definitely look to bolster it [the squad]… we’ve brought a new recruitment department in,” said head coach Duff.

“We will be speaking to Paul [Watson, sporting director] to find out what there is to spend, how much there is to spend, if there’s anything to spend, but we’ll definitely be looking to bolster the top end of the pitch anyway.

Duff added: “There’s lists all the time. There’s been so many things going on, we’re sort of behind… because we’ve been trying to catch up with ourselves, with the amount of change there’s been at the football club.

“But now we can start being pro-active and start actively looking for where we want to strengthen in January.

“We’ve sort of changed shape and we’ve brought people like Jamal [Lowe] in and Josh [Ginnelly] but Josh is out for the season. So we’ll need to.”

Injuries bite

Duff’s Swans have not been helped by injuries – with the likes of Ginnelly on the long-term treatment table after rupturing an Achilles tendon against Sheffield Wednesday.

Former Wales international midfielder Joe Allen, 33, has had surgery on a groin problem, while defender Nathan Wood, 21, is out with an ankle injury.

Defender Josh Key, forward Mykola Kuharevich and midfielder Azeem Abdulai, are also carrying injuries that leaves them sidelined for the moment.

“News on Josh Key is that he’s probably going to be another couple of weeks which is disappointing,” Duff said.

“Mykola could be four to six weeks… I think it’s the lateral side of his knee, he’s felt his ligament in that, so that’s another disappointing one because at the top end of the pitch we are short at the minute.

“Joe’s [Allen] progress is good, he’s still a long way from being fit. Azeem was running properly on the treadmill the other day so there is progress within it but because they were 12-week injuries they seem a long time away – but I’m sure they won’t be.”

Last January, Swansea did not sign a single player, leaving then head coach Russell Martin frustrated.

But since then there has been change to the club’s hierarchy – with Duff in as head coach, Watson the new sporting director, Andy Coleman the club’s chairman, and Ken Gude as chief of staff and head of strategy, with former chief executive Julian Winter leaving the club.

“Ken… doesn’t have a lot to do with the football side of it but I’ve had loads of conversations with Ken – he’s been really helpful in terms of messaging and things like that,” Duff said.

“We’re building relationships constantly. He’s a good guy Andy; he’s got visions, he’s definitely got an opinion, he’s not backwards in coming forwards – which is good because supporters might like it or not like it sometimes, he won’t shy away but he won’t also fluff it up and say we’re something that we’re not.

“That might take little bit of getting used to but from my point of view it’s straight-shooting. Let’s cut the nonsense, let’s cut to the chase and I think that’s what him and Ken will do.

“I’m not sure how much relationships will go into getting into somebody’s pockets but we’ll wait and see. But no, they’ve been fully supportive – the owners and Andy – have been fully supportive.

“We’ve been on a good run, we’ve been on a difficult run. That’s stayed consistent which is the hardest thing to find in football because it’s such an emotional sport.

“You win you’re high as a kite, you lose you’re flat as a pancake – we’re the worst team in the world… it’s trying to find that level of consistency in performances and behaviours around the place.”