Your Swansea City headlines for Wednesday, June 29.
Amat responds to 'false accusations'
Jordi Amat has responded to "false accusations" issued against him following his move to Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta'zim.
The former Swan recently left European football as he bids to represent the Indonesian national football team. The 30-year-old's grandmother was born in Makassar, Indonesia, meaning Amat - who has previous played for Spain's youth sides and Catalonia - is eligible to feature for the Asian country at international level.
And the defender took to social media to address criticism of his decision to join JDT after leaving Belgian side Eupen. "The first thing I want to clarify is all the false accusations against me, implying that I want to have an Indonesian passport to be able to play as Asian quota in me new JDT team, I want everyone to know that before making this decision, I have had offers from other powerful leagues, I have not signed for JDT for the money, my reasons for signing in Johor are based on my adaptation to Asia, the proximity to Indonesia and the possibility of continuing to compete at the highest Asian level, since JDT competes in the Asian Champions League," he wrote on Instagram.
READ MORE: Swansea's Burnley and Huddersfield coups and tills ringing at MK Dons should convince owners
He went on to add: "I would also like to clarify, my grandmother was born and lived in Makassar, Indonesia, where I still have family, I am proud to be able to represent Indonesia, my goal is to help the team with my work and experience and that all of you feel proud of our future achievements.
"I'm asking you to respect my decision, I am leaving Europe behind, my family, my friends. I think I have done the right thing for my new football chapter of my life."
Amat joined Swansea from Espanyol in 2013 and made 73 appearances for the club before joining Rayo Vallecano following a loan spell with Real Betis.
READ MORE: Swansea City are moving on to their new priority as transfer stance revealed and interest mounts
Duo attract interest
Swansea have received interest for both Liam Walsh and Jay Fulton this summer.
A League One side are understood to have asked about the situation of midfielder Walsh while clubs abroad have enquired about Scot Fulton - with both players told they can leave Swansea this summer.
Fulton is contracted to the club until the summer of 2024 and rejected the chance to join Blackpool and Barnsley in January but is now eager to get regular game time elsewhere. The Swans are keen to sign free agent Joe Allen following his exit from Stoke City but need to free up a squad place which in turn could help raise funds to finance the Welshman's wages. You can read the full story on Swansea's midfield situation here.
Highly-rated youngster signs first pro deal
Ben Lloyd has signed his first professional contract with Swansea.
The youngster is highly regarded by those in the club's academy and netted his first senior goal within a minute of coming off the bench in the senior side's pre-season clash with Forest Green Rovers last summer. And it has been confirmed that Lloyd has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with his boyhood club.
“When I first found out about the chance to sign a professional deal I almost couldn’t believe it, an awful lot of hard work has gone in to get to this point,” he told the club website. “In football there are always objectives and goals you are aiming for, and a first professional contract is certainly one of them.
“I have grown up in Swansea, I have been a season-ticket holder and I have supported Swansea all my life. So, this is an achievement I am proud of. It feels very special and it means a lot to my family and I, but now it’s about continuing to put the hard work in and looking to the next goal.
“That is to keep being involved around the first-team set-up, to be part of it as much as possible and to kick on."
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Ex-Swan addresses social media abuse after transfer
Cian Harries hit out at social media trolls following his move from Bristol Rovers to Swindon Town.
The former Swansea defender - who made six first-team appearances under Graham Potter during the 2018/19 campaign - helped Rovers claim promotion into League One in dramatic fashion last season. However, he has just signed a one-year deal with Swindon following the expiration of his contract with Joey Barton's side.
And following news of his move to Swindon, Harries took to Twitter to address online criticism he received after leaving the Memorial Stadium.
"Just catching up on my Twitter," he wrote. "Disappointed to see some real out of order words from Rovers fans. Relegated, promoted and seen a whole lot more in my two-and-a-half years there. Minority doing their best to ruin it for the majority. Thanks to those for their kind words and all the best."
Speaking about the capture of the former Wales Under-21 international, Swindon boss Scott Lindsey said: “Cian is a player I’ve liked for some time and played against us last season. He’s a left-footed centre-half that will give us more balance and is an incredibly gifted footballer, so I’m delighted to have him join us and this signing really strengthens us at the back."
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