These are your Swansea City headlines on Sunday, April 17
Swans 'tracking' Ampadu
Chelsea and Wales midfielder Ethan Ampadu has been linked with a move to Swansea.
News outlet FLW state that Swansea are 'tracking' the 21-year-old ahead of a possible summer swoop. Ampadu has spent this season on loan in Serie A with Venezia, making 25 appearances in all competitions for the Italian outfit.
The Exeter product has spent a couple of loan stints away from Stamford Bridge, with Sheffield United and RB Leipzig respectively, and can play in midfield, central defence and in the full-back position. His versatility would certainly be a plus point for Russell Martin, who will be looking to strengthen the engine room and at centre-back this summer.
READ MORE: Russell Martin's Jamie Paterson contract hope
Like many Chelsea players, Ampadu's future is uncertain, with the club at present subject to a takeover. If Thomas Tuchel does decide to loan out the youngster again next season, there won't be a shortage of suitors.
Martin revealed over the weekend that he was keen to bring Hannes Wolf back to SA1 for a longer period of time, while a deal to sign Cyrus Christie permanently is in the works. Christie is out of contract with Fulham at the end of the current campaign, while Wolf's loan agreement from Borussia Mönchengladbach ends come the last game of the season.
“I honestly don’t know at the minute," Martin said over the possibility of bringing Wolf back. "Mark [Allen] is in conversation with loads of different agents. It’s definitely something we are going to explore and we’ll ask but there’s so much involved – his parent club, the finance, how much they paid for him. We’ll have to wait and see.
"He is loving it here and he has done great for us in two roles. He's just ended up playing there [wing-back] because he's done so well, and he's stayed there. I think it's a role that really suits him. He's at the top end of the pitch where he wants to be and he's really effective.
"He said to me, when he's played wing-back before, he hasn't enjoyed it, but this doesn't feel like wing-back to him. He can do both sides of the game because he's a brilliant pro and athletically he's outstanding. He's been really good. The only reason we got him was because of the style of play and we were able to convince him that whether he played inside or outside the shape, it would really suit him. Thankfully that's been the case."
Martin also confirmed that work is ongoing to tie Jamie Paterson down to an improved contract in SA1. You can read more about that here.
Ntcham's faith and fasting
Swansea's goalscorer against Barnsley, Olivier Ntcham, has lifted the lid on life as a footballer during Ramadan.
Many Muslims don't eat from sunrise to sunset to allow greater focus on prayer and closeness to Allah as part of their faith. As a professional sportsman, his workload must be carefully managed during this period and he has explained the importance of it to supporters.
“I need to eat well at night and drink a lot of water, but even with that sometimes on the pitch you can sometimes feel a lack of energy,” he explained.
“If you stay positive and keep going, it’s fine. Ramadan is really important to me because it’s part of my religion so I am strict on it. My family is half Christian, half Muslim, so for some of my family this is normal. But for the other half of my family it can be difficult for them to see me playing and training while fasting, but it’s fine for me.”
Martin waxed lyrical about the Frenchman on Friday, saying his impact off the bench in recent weeks has been "brilliant".
“Olivier is probably not quite in a position to start,” he said. “He's practising his religious beliefs and can't eat during the day, so it makes it difficult to be at full energy for 90 minutes. We have to choose when and where to use him. Whenever he's come on as a sub, in games like West Brom, Barnsley earlier on in the season, he's been brilliant.”
Congreve wants more
Swansea youngster Cameron Congreve made his home debut against the Tykes and is now keen for more opportunities in a white shirt. The teenager came off the bench late on to replace Jamie Paterson at the Swansea.com Stadium on Good Friday as Swansea chased a winner.
He was quick to thank his team-mates and the club's staff for making him feel so welcome.
“I am just buzzing to be honest. I just very happy. It is hard to describe really,” he said. “Despite it being my home debut, it is like any other game. I am quite an attacking player and when I came on, it was 1-1, and I just tried to do anything to make something happen.
“I think I am settling in very well. The boys and all the staff are extremely welcoming and helped me to settle in very quickly. The players are absolutely quality, so I feel like I am learning and quickly developing every day. I have got a top manager and a top group of staff, so I think everybody has played a part in my development."
