Coventry City and Swansea City locked in transfer battle for Portsmouth star | OneFootball

Championship duo Coventry City and Swansea City are interested in Portsmouth defender Zak Swanson, according to Football Insider.

Who is Zak Swanson?

The 22-year-old is a product of the Arsenal academy, having come from the youth set-up to the under-18s and then the club’s under-23s in three years.

Swanson played 68 times for Arsenal’s academy teams but failed to make a single appearance for the first team.

The defender has only played for two clubs apart from Arsenal; one is Dutch side MVV Maastricht, whom he joined on loan in 2020.

While the other team is, of course, Portsmouth, whom he joined on a permanent basis last summer.

Swanson, who can play as a right-back and a right-winger, had a strong first campaign at Fratton Park. He played 15 times in League One and scored one goal while registering a single assist.

The defender also played in the EFL Trophy, EFL Cup, and FA Cup, with him facing Arsenal’s arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the third round.

When does Zak Swanson’s contract expire at Portsmouth?

As he only joined the club last summer, it is no surprise that the 22-year-old still has a bit to run on his Portsmouth contract.

Swanson is under contract at the club until next summer, but Pompey do have the option to extend that by another season.

Football Insider states that Swanson’s performances for Portsmouth have caught the eye of Coventry and Swansea, as they are both keen to add to their right-back options this summer.

Coventry have just let Fankaty Dabo leave the club on a free transfer, while Swansea only have Kyle Naughton as their recognised right-back.

Would Zak Swanson be a good signing this summer?

The right-back impressed last season, in what was his first taste of regular first-team football and in a side that struggled for the majority of the campaign.

Swanson showed glimpses of what he is capable of, having chipped in at the top end of the pitch, and that will be something that will have impressed the two Championship sides.

At the age of 22, Swanson still has room for development and growth, so these sides wouldn’t be getting the finished article, but a player they can nurture and improve to their liking.

Both sides need a new right-back this summer, so whichever team signs him, he could be swiftly thrown into Championship action. Bug, considering how well he took to League One, this shouldn’t be a problem for the defender.