Swansea City

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Four members of Coventry City's title-winning side have been nominated for the Professional Footballers Association's Championship Players' Player of the Year award.

Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, captain Matt Grimes, midfielder Jack Rudoni and striker Haji Wright are all in the running to add another trophy to the Sky Blues' successful season.

Midfielder Grimes, 30, started all 46 of Coventry's league games as they finished 11 points clear at the top of the Championship while Wright, 28, scored 18 goals in all competitions and is part of the USA squad at the World Cup.

Rushworth, 24, spent the season on loan at Coventry from Brighton, keeping 17 clean sheets, while 24-year-old Rudoni scored seven goals, including late winners against Derby and Stoke.

Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney and Swansea striker Zan Vipotnik, who finished as the Championship's top scorer with 23 goals, have also been shortlisted for the award.

PFA members will vote for the winner who will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday, 25 August.

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Joe Allen says he is taking a break from football after leaving Swansea City and admits his future could lie away from the game.

The central midfielder retired from professional football in May 2025 but was part of Vitor Matos' backroom staff after the Portuguese boss replaced Alan Sheehan as Swansea head coach in November.

However, after leaving his coaching role with the Swans, the former Wales international says he remains unsure what he will do next.

When asked about his future plans, Allen told BBC Sport Wales: "I don't have an answer, I'll take a break now to work it all out.

"I'm hoping something comes to me, whether that's in the next few weeks or few months, I'm not sure.

"I'm probably torn between staying in football – it's all I've known really – but then there's a part of me which fancies maybe starting something new."

Allen was part of the Swansea team that gained promotion to the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers in 2011.

Having been relegated from the top-flight in 2018, Swansea are currently preparing for a ninth successive season in the Championship.

But Allen feels the Swans - who finished 11th in the second tier last term - have shown encouraging signs under Matos as they look to secure a return to the Premier League.

"With the way the season ended, the signs are promising," added the 36-year-old.

"It's tough, when Swansea came down, the ambition was to get back up as soon as possible, it's not quite happened.

"But we had that incredible day 15 years ago and the message for the group now is you want to write your own history and have something similar, so we'll keep our fingers crossed and we hope the Swans can take that step."

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Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik has been included in BBC Sport's Championship team of the season.

The Slovenian scored a total of 25 goals in his second season with Swansea - of which 23 goals were scored in 43 league games.

The 24-year-old, who described his season as "magical", is expected to attract interest from other clubs this summer.

Two former Swansea City players were also recognised after helping their respective clubs secure promotion to the Premier League.

Coventry City midfielder Matt Grimes and striker Oli McBurnie of Hull City were named in the Championship team of the season in BBC Sport's first end-of-season football awards.

Voted for by our expert pundits, dedicated team of journalists, and specialist football programme makers, these awards celebrate the players who starred in the Premier League, Women's Super League, Scottish Premiership and EFL in 2025-26.

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Swansea City midfielder Ethan Galbraith has been included in Northern Ireland's squad for friendlies with Guinea and France next month - despite not playing since the friendly draw with Wales on 31 March.

The 24-year-old played 80 minutes in Cardiff, but returned to Swansea complaining of a calf issue and missed the final seven matches of the Championship campaign.

Until that point the midfielder or right-back had enjoyed a fine debut year in south Wales and, having seen Galbraith's season come to a premature end, Swansea boss Vitor Matos had hoped one of his outstanding performers would have a chance to rest this summer.

"I think it doesn't make sense for [Galbraith to play in] the international break, but I leave that for the medical team and the medical team of the national team as well," Matos said in April.

"I think it's the best regarding the situation of the injury, but then it's something that they need to speak about and everyone decides what's the best in that case."

With Northern Ireland - like Wales - missing out on this summer's World Cup finals, Michael O'Neill's side face Guinea in Spain on Saturday, 4 June and take on France in Lille the following Monday.

Matos will also be monitoring several other members of his squad on international duty over the coming weeks.

Defender Ben Cabango is the only Swans player in Wales selection for friendlies at the beginning of June against Ghana and Romania.

South Korea winger Eom Jisung and New Zealand's Mark Stamenic both face busy summers having been named in their countries' World Cup squads.

And they could also be joined at this summer's tournament by Australia centre-back Cameron Burgess and defender Ricardo Santos if he is called up by Cape Verde.

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Swansea City have been boosted by news that Melker Widell will be fit for pre-season despite suffering an ankle ligament injury in their final game of the 2025-26 campaign.

Sweden international Widell was on crutches after a heavy challenge from Conor Coventry forced him off during Swansea's win over Charlton Athletic on 2 May.

Though scans showed Widell suffered some ligament damage, Swansea expect him to be fully fit when Vitor Matos' squad begin preparations for the 2026-27 Championship season in early July.

Widell made 43 appearances last season, his first in English football, and became increasingly influential as the campaign wore on.

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Jonathan de Guzman, who scored two Wembley goals to help Swansea City win their one major trophy, is retiring from football at the age of 38.

Netherlands international De Guzman enjoyed two successful season-long loan spells at Swansea, in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

The midfielder played 93 times for Swansea, scoring 12 times, after being brought to Wales by Michael Laudrup.

His most famous goals came in Swansea's 5-0 League Cup final win over Bradford City in February 2013.

De Guzman also scored in the win at Liverpool during that cup run, and in Swansea's famous 3-0 Europa League triumph in Valencia the following season.

After leaving Swansea, he had spells in Italy, Germany and Greece before moving to Sparta Rotterdam, where he played his final Eredivisie game over the weekend.

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Swansea City have the second of what could be as many as four representatives at this summer's World Cup confirmed after Eom Jisung was named in the South Korea squad.

Winger Eom, 23, is part of a 26-man group which also includes the likes of former Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, Paris St-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae.

South Korea start their World Cup campaign against the Czech Republic on 12 June and then face co-hosts Mexico seven days later, before finishing Group A with a game against South Africa on 25 June.

Eom, who has made 88 appearances in two seasons at Swansea, will join club-mate Mark Stamenic at the World Cup after he was named in the New Zealand squad.

Swansea centre-back Cameron Burgess is expected to be included in the Australia squad, while there have been suggestions that fellow defender Ricardo Santos could be called up by Cape Verde despite the fact that he managed only one club appearance in 2025-26.

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Promising youngster Harlan Perry has signed a first professional contract at Swansea City.

Midfielder Perry, 18, joined Swansea at under-nine level and is now contracted until the summer of 2028.

The Wales Under-19s international was previously touted as a potential target for Manchester City and Manchester United.

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Kristian O'Leary reckons Swansea City can look ahead with optimism after the club's latest mid-table Championship finish.

Swansea ended the 2025-26 campaign in 11th after a significant upturn in form under Vitor Matos, who took charge amid relegation concerns last November.

It was a second successive 11th-place finish for the Welsh side, and their fifth in a row in mid-table since the 2021 play-off final loss to Brentford under Steve Cooper.

First-team coach O'Leary believes the club are well placed to progress heading into 2026-27.

"I think a lot of things have gone on over the last two or three years," the Swansea stalwart said.

"[There are] new owners who are very invested in the club - you could see that off the pitch last summer – and the manager has been brilliant.

"He's got charisma, he's got personality, which is something Swansea managers that have been successful have.

"He's got a way about him which is suited to the club, so I think we have to be optimistic."

Swansea were 20th in the table when Matos took over following the sacking of Alan Sheehan.

Relegation worries mounted after the Portuguese lost his first two games at the helm, but Swansea then found form – particularly on their own patch – to pull well clear of the bottom three.

They ended the campaign nine points adrift of sixth place and 17 clear of the drop zone.

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Swansea City midfielder Marko Stamenic will head to the World Cup next month after being named in New Zealand's squad for the tournament.

Stamenic, 24, is one of eight players who play club football in the English leagues included in the All Whites' 26-man party.

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood is the most well-known of those players, with Braintree Town defender Tommy Smith and Wrexham's Liberato Cacace among others who have received the call.

New Zealand, who have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 16 years, will face Belgium, Egypt and Iran in the group stage of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.

New Zealand will meet Haiti and England in warm-up friendlies in early June.

Stamenic impressed at Swansea in 2025-26, his first year at the club following a move from Forest.

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The recent successes of Swansea City goalkeepers suggests Martyn Margetson's successor may have a hard act to follow.

Margetson has said farewell to Swansea for a second time, ending a three-year spell as the Championship club's head of goalkeeping after a previous two-season stint in a similar role between 2019 and 2021.

Across Margetson's five campaigns at Swansea, their various frontline keepers have thrived.

During Margetson's first spell with the Swans, Freddie Woodman was first-choice keeper across his two season-long loans from Newcastle United.

Steve Cooper's Swansea reached the play-offs in each of those campaigns, with Woodman winning the Championship's golden glove award in 2020-21 thanks to 20 league clean sheets.

After Margetson departed alongside Cooper in 2021, first-team goalkeeping duties were shared between Steven Benda, Ben Hamer and Andy Fisher in 2021-22.

In the following campaign, Fisher played 27 games and Benda 23, before the return of Margetson as part of Michael Duff's new-look management team in 2023 coincided with the return of more stability in the Swansea goal.

Carl Rushworth arrived on a year-long loan from Brighton and cleaned up at Swansea's end-of-season awards the following spring.

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When Rushworth departed in 2024, Swansea turned to Lawrence Vigouroux – who then boss Luke Williams had worked with at Leyton Orient – and he has been one of their most consistent performers over the last two seasons.

In a farewell message posted on social media,, external Margetson said the decision to "step down" from his role was right for him and his family.

"There have been some special moments along the way," Margetson wrote.

"Seeing Freddie Woodman win the Championship golden glove was a huge achievement for him, his family and the club.

"Carl Rushworth's development into the club's player of the season was another proud moment for him, his family and the club.

"Lawrence Vigouroux has been excellent for the two seasons he's had so far at Swansea City and is now an established Chile international, something everybody at the club should be proud of."

Swansea are yet to announce who will succeed Margetson as their first-team goalkeeping coach.

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Swansea City Women stalwart Katy Hosford is to leave the club this summer.

Hosford, 28, made her Swans debut in 2013 having come through the club's development centres.

The midfielder or forward won four Welsh top-flight titles, two Welsh Cups and an Adran Trophy during her time at Swansea and was named captain as the team went semi-professional in 2023.

However, Hosford says she has decided to depart having missed the 2025-26 campaign due to the arrival of her baby, George.

"This has been a difficult decision for me to make and it is one I make with a heavy heart," said Hosford.

"But I feel it is the right time for me to leave and to focus on spending time with my family.

"I have been so incredibly proud to play for Swansea City, and to see the amazing strides the team and women's football as a whole has made over the 13 years since my debut.

"We have come such a long way and I hope we are creating a legacy that can ensure that growth continues in the years to come."

Swansea Women head coach Yzzy Taylor called Hosford one of the "most influential figures" in the club's history.

"Her longevity and success underline what an important and inspirational person she has been for young footballers in south west Wales and beyond," Taylor added.

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Adam Idah believes Swansea City will be better placed to push for promotion next season thanks to their experiences in 2025-26.

Swansea are taking stock after an undulating campaign in which early play-off ambitions were replaced by relegation concerns, before an upturn in form under Vitor Matos led to a mid-table finish.

The Swans ended up 11th for the second year in a row but Idah says they will aim higher now that a number of players within Matos' squad have got to know the Championship.

"There are a lot of players who were in their first season, so it's not going to be easy," the striker said.

"But I think towards the back end of the season, what I've seen is we do have the players [to compete for promotion]."

Swansea finished the season nine points behind Hull City, who claimed the final play-off place.

The Swans' total of 64 points was the club's second highest in the last five campaigns, behind the 66-point tally which delivered 10th place in 2022-23.

With the clubs who finish seventh and eighth going into the play-offs for the first time next season, it may not need much of an improvement for Swansea to send their next campaign into overtime.

Idah, a Championship promotion winner at Norwich City in 2021, says finding consistency is key.

"There are games where you might not be playing your best but you've just got to get through them - that is the Championship for you," he added.

"You're playing Saturday, Tuesday, every week. It is very demanding but if you do want to try to get back to the Premier League, that's what you have to do.

"You've got to be very determined to do it and you've got to be consistent the whole way throughout the season."

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On-loan Swansea City defender Filip Lissah has been named young player of the year at Scottish Premiership club Falkirk.

The 21-year-old has played 30 games, scoring twice, since joining Falkirk on a season-long deal last September.

Lissah has made 25 league starts for the Bairns, who are sixth in the Scottish top flight.

The former Chelsea youngster has been regarded as a player with first-team potential since joining Swansea in 2021.

His contract at the Championship club runs until the summer of 2027, though there is an option to extend the deal by a year.

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Swansea City will travel to Austria for a pre-season training camp in July as part of their preparations for the 2026-27 Championship season.

The exact timing and details of the trip are yet to be announced, but it is likely to feature two friendly matches.

The upcoming pre-season will be Swansea's first under Vitor Matos, who says the chance to spend an extended period on the training ground will be vital for his team's development.

When asked about close-season transfer plans last month, Matos said: "I will say it now, the best transfer [of the summer] will be the pre-season together.

"It doesn't mean that you're going to win all the games, but it means you create basics to be closer to success and you create basics that when there's a little bit of a storm, you always find a way to get out. That will be massive for us."