These are your Swansea City headlines on Tuesday, May 9.
Martin wants pace this summer
Swansea City head coach Russell Martin says he wants to add power and pace to his attack this summer.
Swansea finished the season so strongly, coming from behind against West Brom to make it a very enjoyable - if not frustrating - end of the campaign.
The SA1 outfit finished just three points off the top six but did secure a top-half spot - an improvement on last term’s 15th-placed finish.
Martin feels they are just a couple of ingredients away from competing next year and says “real pace” will be one of his transfer priorities this off-season.
“I think we just have a couple of things we haven’t got at the moment,” the head coach said.
“Some real pace to scare the life out of teams, some real athleticism, especially on the top line would be really helpful for us.
“I don’t think that’s changed really in the last 18 months in terms of what we felt would be ideal.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to add to that and help the guys we’ve got here. But what the group has given us here is incredible. I think if we have that we have a real chance of building and improving on this season.”
Martin: Piroe in no rush to leave
Martin says he’d love to keep star striker Joel Piroe this summer and believes he is in no rush to leave the club.
Piroe bagged another against the Baggies to take his tally to 20 goals this season, the second successive campaign he’s registered a score of strikes.
But performances and stats like that attract suitors and Martin says there is “100 per cent” going to be interest in him this summer.
“I was worried last summer,” conceded Martin, when asked if he feared other clubs taking note of his displays.
“It worries me a bit more he’s only got a year left on his contract. That sort of stuff we need to avoid in the future really. Hopefully that’s the sort of stuff Andy (Coleman) can come in and really help to have an influence on and impact on, because we shouldn’t be sitting here with our top goalscorer with a year left on his contract because it makes us more vulnerable than maybe we should or could be.
“He’s a brilliant young man, brilliant footballer, it was a really apt way for the game to finish. He does that and scores 20 goals again.
“I’d love to keep him. I don’t think he’s in a rush to leave, I really don’t.
“I think he understands and respects his development in the process he’s been working with and how much the style of the team really suits him.
“I think he has a real awareness of that and so does his dad, who looks after him and his career.
“Will there be interest? One hundred per cent. But if Joel leaves it has to be for an amount of money that really makes a difference to the club. I think everyone will agree on that, and it means we can try to find someone to replace him, because to score the amount of goals that he has... not just that, what he brings to the team, how he behaves on and off the pitch, amazing.
“I love him and hope that we can keep him. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Oxford want Joseph back
Oxford United boss Liam Manning says he’d love to bring back Kyle Joseph next season.
The Swansea attacker has spent the campaign on loan with The U’s, scoring 10 goals across 41 appearances in all competitions.
He has two years left on his contract in Landore.
Asked about having his services again next season, Manning said: “Kyle’s done great for us and there’s no snobbery around the fact he loves running.
“It’s almost a thing now where young players especially, you don’t associate it with them. It’s always the technical skills, which he’s got as well, but his appetite to work is outstanding.
“He’s been terrific to work with and I’ve really enjoyed working with him. He’s someone that will progressively get better and it’s one of those where we have to go away and look at the situation.”
Piroe delighted with goal haul
Piroe says he is “really pleased” to notch up back-to-back seasons scoring 20 goals for Swansea.
The Dutchman becomes the first man to do so since Jason Scotland in 2009. Piroe struck with almost the last kick of the game against the Baggies, hitting a wonderful free-kick into the bottom right-hand corner - thanks to some handy work from team-mate Joel Latibeaudiere.
“Latibeaudiere was looking at me asking ‘where are you going to shoot it?’ I just said to him ‘left corner, so be ready to clear the space,’” he said.
“He did his job, and I think that I had to score from there. I think it’s the best last kick of a season I’ve had. I’m very pleased with it.
“It’s incredible [to score 20 or more goals in back-to-back seasons]. I’m very pleased that I reached it. I’m really pleased to be the first player to do that for Swansea in 14 years, I’m proud of that.
“I think we showed again that we have unbelievable courage and belief. We believed in each other and the plan to come back and win the game. It’s always nice when you win, even if the play-offs are out of reach, it was good to give the crowd something back to them.
“They were behind us from the start, and we wanted to give something back to them.”
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