Swansea City

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Luke Williams says Florian Bianchini can become “a very good player” for Swansea City as the French winger eyes a chance for game-time in the absence of Eom Ji-Sung.

Bianchini is yet to start a Championship game since joining Swansea from Bastia in a deal worth around £2m in August.

The 23-year-old has made four substitute appearances in the league so far, with his one Swansea start coming in their miserable League Cup defeat to Wycombe.

But with Eom – who has started every league game this season – facing six weeks out, Bianchini is one of those who will come into contention for Saturday’s trip to Blackburn Rovers.

Asked about the Frenchman’s start to life at Swansea, head coach Williams said: “I think it’s been a mixed bag which I would expect. He came in late and has had to learn plenty of things.

“We have some guys who have been starting games regularly so he has had to jump into games in different circumstances.

“I think there have been some real positive signs, some encouraging things, and some games where he has not hit that level. That’s why we continue to work with him and I am sure he is going to become a very good player for us.”

If Bianchini does not start at Ewood Park, Williams could turn to academy product Azeem Abdulai or Myles Peart-Harris, who was signed on loan from Brentford as an attacking midfielder.

Another option could be to switch Ollie Cooper to the wing, though he has impressed in a central role this season.

“We have seen guys coming off the bench and starting games in the wide positions so we have some options there,” Williams added.

“We are very disappointed to lose Eom and we would never want to have him out of the squad, but it gives an opportunity for someone to try to stake a claim and potentially create even more competition amongst the players.”

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Blackburn Rovers have been boosted by the return of three players ahead of their Championship fixture with Swansea City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Full-back Callum Brittain and forward Harry Leonard both returned to training during the international break and are set to feature for the club's under-21s against Benfica in the Premier League International Cup on Thursday night.

Wales Under-21 international Owen Beck will also be available for the home side at Ewood Park after serving a three-match suspension following the red card he received during Blackburn's 0-0 draw with Preston North End on 22 September.

“The squad’s looking strong, it’s looking fit and everyone’s available,” said Eustace, who was close to becoming Swansea boss in the summer of 2021 prior to the appointment of Russell Martin.

“We’ve proven already this season that it’s all about the squad and that everyone’s competitive and ready when they’re called upon.

“I think we’re still growing, everyone’s still gelling and it’s important to keep working hard because we have players who are very committed and hungry to do well for the football club."

Defender Scott Wharton is the only definite absentee for Rovers as he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury.

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Swansea City’s Welsh contingent have had a busy spell under Craig Bellamy, while there are other members of Luke Williams’ squad who have been an action during the international break.

Joe Allen’s return to international duty, with the veteran midfielder coming off the bench during Monday’s 1-0 win over Montenegro, meant four Swansea players were used by Craig Bellamy in his second camp as Wales head coach.

Ollie Cooper started last Friday’s 2-2 draw in Iceland and then featured as a late substitute in the Montenegro win.

Liam Cullen made his first competitive start for Wales against Montenegro having got his first minutes in a competitive international game as a second-half substitute in Iceland.

Ben Cabango also came off the bench in Reykjavik and then started against Montenegro, a game in which no fewer than seven Swansea academy graduates had time on the pitch.

That number could have been higher had Wales regular Connor Roberts not been on left on a bench which also featured Rhys Norrington-Davies, who spent time at Swansea before being released as a youngster.

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Another player left kicking his heels in this international break was Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux.

He was an unused substitute in defeats to Brazil and Colombia despite Chile making a change in goal, with Colo-Colo’s Brayan Cortes replacing Gabriel Arias.

Swansea striker Zan Vipotnik featured as a substitute in both Slovenia’s Nations League games, playing 31 minutes of a 3-0 to defeat to Norway – for whom Erling Haaland scored twice – and another 19 minutes in a 1-0 win in Kazakhstan.

Nathan Tjoe-A-On played twice for Indonesia, featuring as a late substitute in a 2-2 draw with Bahrain before playing 90 minutes as his nation were beaten 2-1 in China on Tuesday.

Eom Ji-Sung, meanwhile, missed South Korea’s 3-2 win over Iraq on Tuesday having returned to Wales early as a result of a knee injury picked up in last Thursday’s 2-0 win over Jordan.

Ethan Latham
BBC Sport Wales

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Swansea City head to Lancashire this Saturday looking for a return to winning ways after a goalless draw against Stoke City before the international break.

With sights set on a second away win of the season, the Swans face a Blackburn Rovers side also in search of a response.

Rovers suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time under manager John Eustace before the break, losing 3-0 at Coventry City, before former Swansea winger Morgan Whittaker's dramatic 97th-minute winner also saw Blackburn taste defeat at Plymouth Argyle.

However, like Swansea, Blackburn remain unbeaten at home this season in the league and currently sit one point outside the Championship play-off places.

Over the years Ewood Park has not been a happy hunting ground for the Swans, with only one win coming at the venue in the last 53 years.

A first half Liam Cullen strike was enough to earn Swansea all three points in October last year, a victory that would turn out to be Michael Duff's final win in charge of the club.

Before that sole victory, the Swans had conceded 15 goals in the past seven visits to the ground, suffering four defeats in the process.

Saturday's task might become all the more difficult for Swansea, with the club still awaiting news on the fitness of South Korea midfielder Eom Ji-Sung after reports of a knee injury suffered on international duty.

A 490-mile round trip awaits the Swans, with boss Luke Williams making his first visit to Ewood Park as a manager.

You really get the sense that a win would be huge for both clubs heading into a busy autumn schedule.

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Leon Britton hailed Wales manager Craig Bellamy's decision to bring Joe Allen back into the international fold as a "good move".

Central midfielder Allen retired from Wales duty little more than two months after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but was included in Bellamy's squad for his country's Nations League matches with Iceland and Montenegro this month.

Allen was omitted from the 23-man matchday squad for Friday night's 2-2 draw in Iceland, although he is expected to be included for Monday night's contest against Montenegro at Cardiff City Stadium (19:45 BST).

The need for a midfielder is all the more pressing given that Ethan Ampadu is sidelined through injury, while Jordan James is suspended for the visit of Montenegro - paving the way for Allen to feature in some shape or form.

Ahead of the game, Bellamy said on Allen: "Hopefully he kicks a ball for me tomorrow [Monday]."

And former Swans midfielder Britton believes the experience Allen will bring to the international setup will only benefit Wales.

"I don't know how much he'll play. He's coming towards the end of his career," Britton said on the Feast of Football podcast.

"But you can understand why Craig wants him in his squad, because of the experience he's got, helping the younger players.

"It might not be on the pitch as such, but it'll be in the lead-up to games, on the training pitch with his experience of playing in big games and big tournaments.

"I think it's only a plus for the squad. I'm sure Craig would have spoken with Joe about the minutes that he'll play.

"I'm sure Joe is not expecting to start all the time or play as many minutes as he has before, but he'll know his role in that squad will be to try and help the younger players with his experience.

"I think it's a really good move from Craig Bellamy to get him back, and it's great to see Joe Allen back in the fold."

The full episode of Feast of Football is available now.

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Joe Ledley has issued an apology to Leon Britton - 16 years on from making his first appearance in a south Wales derby.

Midfielder Ledley was shown an early yellow card for a foul on opposite number Britton during Swansea City's 1-0 League Cup victory over Cardiff City in September 2008.

Jordi Gomez's 57th-minute free-kick proved enough for the Swans to earn victory, and former Wales international Ledley admits he swiftly learned from his rash moment, in what was his first taste of derby action.

"Obviously, being a Cardiff boy, this was a massive derby for me, all of my mates and family were on me, making sure you put in a performance and hit someone hard," Ledley told the Feast of Football podcast.

"Just before I was going out on the pitch, you know what it's like with managers giving the team talk, [former Bluebirds boss] Dave Jones said 'right, nobody lose your head and just concentrate on the game'.

"I was getting booed in the warm-up, booed when I touched the ball. I apologise... first five minutes into the game, the ball being passed to Leon and I just went steaming through, took him out, yellow card.

"It completely ruined my game. You know what it's like when you're on a yellow, you don't want to get sent off, it's the last thing I needed, going back to Cardiff.

"So I do apologise, there was an opportunity there and I took the player first and not the ball."

Ledley was never on the winning side during his outings for Cardiff against the Swans, and the 37-year-old recalled the time where he was able to fully appreciate the hostility between the two sets of supporters.

"I remember another story at your place [Swansea], there was a throw-in and this geezer has gone 'Joe, I know your address' and it was the whole address. I was living at home," he added.

"He said it. I was living in Fairwater at the time and I was thinking, 'I hope my parents are alright when I get back home'.

"Thankfully nothing happened. But it [the derby] means a lot to both sets of fans."

The full episode of Feast of Football is available now.

With Swansea struggling for goals and Lee Trundle still scoring at the age of 48, we asked for your views on who fans would like to see back in their prime in Luke Williams’ side.

And it is fair to say a certain Spanish star is the striker supporters would love to see leading the line for the team.

Michu may have played his last game in white ten years ago, but memories of the forward’s goals that saw him the envy of Premier League rivals still loom large.

There were also calls for other cult heroes to be the subject of a dream time-machine transfer, but Spain international Michu was the majority pick.

Here is a selection of the responses:

Campo - Michu for his one season wonder antics would be amazing to have back! After him, Bony would be next on my list, on his day he was brilliant at holding the ball up and finishing strongly.

Steve Morris - Michu, though he had plenty of service

Simon - Bring back Michu, pure class!

Simon Lloyd - Alan Curtis

Glyn Williams - I'd bring Trunds on for a free kick! A couple of today’s players too frightened to have a shot!

Steve - Michu was one of the best strikers Swansea have had in recent times. Always looked like he would score. There was always an expectation he would score whenever he had the ball in the box.

Sam - While all of the names above are absolute legends at this club, it has to be Michu for me. In his prime he was genuinely something else to behold. Pure magic.

Stuart Green-John – Wilfried Bony

Simon - Michu all day long. He’d tear the Championship apart.

Robert Davies - Jason Scotland in his prime would rip this division up

Will - For me it has to be Michu. Before his injury he was an absolute phenomenon. I also think he'd be better suited for our current team than someone like Bony, who in his prime scored slightly more goals, but would struggle a lot more with poor service.

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Rhys A - 100% have Trundle back in his prime. Top scorer, insanely skillful, and entertaining. What more could you ask for!!

Alan – Lee Trundle

Rusty - Michu every day of the week and twice on Sundays! The man got a Spain cap while they were reigning World and European Champions - and he was playing for the Swans - that’s how good he was!!!

Michael Dennis - Alan Waddle

Mike Warboys - Michu

Kasto - Michu all day long. The difference now is that the owners sell all our best talents. Very depressing.

Roggie - It's got to be a fully fit Michu, he would be scoring for fun in the Championship.

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Swansea City will wait for news on the fitness of South Korea midfielder Eom Ji-Sung after reports of a knee injury suffered on international duty.

Eom won his third cap for his country after appearing as a first-half substitute in the World Cup qualifier against Jordan, replacing Wolves' Hwang Hee-Chan.

But Eom was replaced himself in the second-half of the 2-0 win in Amman with reports from Asia citing a knee issue.

There are images of the 22-year-old leaving the ground on crutches, although it has been suggested the problem is not a serious one.

South Korea - who top their qualifying group - next play on Tuesday when the Taegeuk Warriors host Iraq.

Eom has been a success since arriving in south Wales from Gwangju this summer, featuring in all nine of their Championship games.

Elsewhere, Swans goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux is still waiting to make his international debut after being kept on the bench for Chile as Brazil scored late to win Friday morning's World Cup qualifier in Santiago 2-1.

And there was no morale-boosting goal for striker Zan Vipotnik after the 22-year-old came on 57 minutes into Slovenia's 3-0 defeat by Norway, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland scoring twice in the Oslo win.

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Lawrence Vigouroux must wait to discover whether his wait for a first senior cap will come during this international break.

As Vigouroux and the rest of the Chile squad prepare for a World Cup qualifying game against Brazil in the early hours of Friday morning, the goalkeeper has never had a stronger case for international recognition.

Vigouroux, who will be 31 next month, is in his first season playing regular Championship football.

Though he was part of a Premier League squad at Burnley last term, Vigouroux’s only previous senior football has come in the lower leagues at Swindon Town and Leyton Orient, while he had a brief spell playing in Chile for Everton de Vina del Mar.

Vigouroux has played every minute of Swansea’s season so far.

“He has been top,” said Swansea head coach Luke Williams.

“He didn’t play for quite a while so he is jumping back in at the deep end and I couldn’t be more happy with him.

“I have known him since he was a young player on loan [at Swindon] from Liverpool, but he’s really matured as a man and as a player.

“I think he has a way to go to improve his distribution for example. But I am really very happy to have him here.”

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Vigouroux has conceded just six goals in nine league games. Only two clubs, Sheffield United and Burnley, have been breached on fewer occasions in the Championship this season.

The record represents a significant step forward for Swansea, who have too often been let down by defensive frailties in recent seasons.

“The whole team take credit for that but I think the goalkeeper has been incredible, the back four have been incredible,” Williams added.

“Ultimately there’s going to be big headers, big tackles, big saves from those guys and they have been outstanding.”

If he is to feature for Chile - who also take on Colombia in this international break - Vigouroux will have to dislodge current first-choice goalkeeper Gabriel Arias.

Arias, 37, plays his club football for Argentinian top-flight side Racing Club.

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While Matt Grimes was not able to lead Swansea City to victory over Stoke City on Saturday, the skipper did attract glowing praise from opposition boss Narcis Pelach after the 0-0 draw at the Swansea.com Stadium.

"Matt Grimes is such a good player, he dictates the game and plays very well," said the Potters manager.

Swansea paid close to £1.75m to bring Grimes from Exeter City in 2015 and, after loan spells with Blackburn Rovers, Leeds United and Northampton Town, the midfielder has become a key part of the Swans team under a succession of bosses.

Luke Williams is the latest Swans head coach to appreciate a player who was first handed the captain's armband by Steve Cooper for the 2019-20 season, as the 29-year-old closes on a decade of service to the south Wales club.

Pelach, along with other Championship coaches no doubt, has pitted wits against Grimes and his Swans team-mates since his time as Huddersfield Town's interim boss, then as Norwich City's first-team coach, before taking over at Stoke last September.

“It’s difficult to compete against them and I know that because with Huddersfield, with Norwich I played against him [Grimes] that it’s tough," Pelach said.

"To see a good battle, two teams trying to get a win, I think it was nice to see.”

Going into the international break, the stalemate left Swansea 11th in the Championship, four points off the play-off places but with their unbeaten home record this season intact.

Swansea return to action on Saturday, 19 October with a trip to eighth-placed Blackburn Rovers, and are again in league action three days later as they head to Sheffield Wednesday.

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Joe Allen’s Wales return means Luke Williams will be without eight senior Swansea players during this international break.

Allen joins club-mates Ben Cabango, Ollie Cooper and Liam Cullen in Craig Bellamy’s squad for the Nations League games in Iceland on Friday and at home to Montenegro next Monday.

Williams may have fingers crossed that striker Zan Vipotnik will get a confidence-boosting goal while he is away with Slovenia.

They are also in Nations League action, with away games against Erling Haaland’s Norway on Thursday and Kazakhstan next Sunday.

There are others in the Swansea squad who will go further on their travels, with goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux in the Chile squad for their World Cup qualifying games against Brazil in Santiago in the early hours of Friday and in Colombia on Tuesday, 15 October.

Eom Ji-Sung has again been called up by South Korea, who play World Cup qualifiers in Jordan on Thursday and at home to Iraq five days later.

Nathan Tjoe-A-On, meanwhile, will also be in World Cup qualifying action for Indonesia, who go to Bahrain on Thursday before another away fixture against China the following Tuesday.

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While Swansea City are finding it tough going in front of goal this season, a former star is showing you never lose a scoring touch.

The Swans’ goalless draw with Stoke City at the weekend made it the fourth time Luke Williams’ side have drawn a blank this season – with only rivals Cardiff City (five) failing to find the net on more occasions.

Although creating chances and still occupying a place in the top half of the Championship, Swansea have only managed eight league goals – with Preston North End (seven) and Cardiff (four) the only sides with fewer.

It has led to boss Williams saying he needs to play the role of a psychologist to help, and former striker Ian Walsh blaming a lack of service.

But Swansea have also been shorn of a star striker since the sale of Joel Piroe to Leeds United last summer.

Before him, Swans fans could count on the likes of Andre Ayew, Oli McBurnie, Fernando Llorente, Wilfried Bony and streets favourite Michu to grab the goals.

But another cult hero is still in red-hot form only a few miles from the Swansea.com Stadium, with Lee Trundle still banging them in for Cymru South side Trefelin.

Trundle signed for the Port Talbot-based side in Wales’ second tier at the start of the season.

And even at the age of 47, the skilful goalscorer – who also serves as Swansea’s club ambassador – has managed eight goals in just nine games.

His latest came on Friday when he scored in the fourth minute of injury time to earn Trefelin a point in a 3-3 draw with Taffs Well, lining up alongside former Wales midfielder Shaun MacDonald.

Trundle scored 91 goals for Swansea across 194 appearances over two spells and remains one of the club’s most popular players.

Which begs the question, if you could magically return one former Swansea striker back to their peak of their powers to help out the current side, who would you choose?

Trundle? Bony? Michu? Jason Scotland? Or even Bob Latchford?

Send us your dream choice here, external.