Opinion: Swansea City injury blow should lead them to ex-Fulham free agent | OneFootball

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Just when Swansea City thought they had injected some positivity into their dismal start to the 2023-24 Championship season, the South Wales outfit have been dealt with a triple whammy hammer-blow in the form of long-term injuries.

Their 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday was somewhat of a sign that slowly but surely, Michael Duff's side could be turning the corner, albeit they turned over a relatively poor side who are still looking for their first win of the league campaign.

What has happened in the aftermath though has somewhat brought the mood down, with three of Duff's first-team squad coming down with long-term injuries.

Summer signing Josh Ginnelly has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after rupturing his achilles, having played just the eight times since his move from Scottish outfit Hearts, whilst centre-back Nathan Wood needs ankle surgery and could be out for months.

Also joining the duo on the treatment table is experienced midfielder Joe Allen, who suffered a groin injury recently and has been under the knife, leaving him out of action for around three months, just like Wood.

Should Duff continue with the 4-2-3-1 system he's moved to in the last few games, then Swansea are going to need to at least consider looking into the current pool of free agents that are on the market, with just Charlie Patino, Matt Grimes and Jay Fulton being realistic options to pick.

Liam Walsh may get a chance after a lacklustre and injury-hit two years with the club, but there are potential options that are still without a club - one of those being Josh Onomah.

Who is Josh Onomah?

A former prodigy having come through the Tottenham academy, Onomah was capped at six different youth levels for England, playing 56 times for the Three Lions between 2012 and 2018.

Onomah didn't make it at Spurs in the end though despite playing 32 times, with loan moves to Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday being followed by a permanent switch to Fulham in 2019.

With the Cottagers, Onomah won two promotions from the Championship, playing 54 times for the London club in the second tier of English football and he also racked up 13 Premier League outings for them too.

However, fitness and injuries were an issue for Onomah during his time at Craven Cottage, and he was allowed to explore a new challenge in January 2023, signing for Preston North End for the remainder of the campaign.

With the Lilywhites, Onomah appeared in 13 matches and it looked as though he was going to sign an extension over the summer, but it never materialised and neither did a contract at Stoke City, whom he played multiple pre-season friendlies for.

Why should Swansea City sign Josh Onomah?

The main reason, quite obviously, that Swansea should consider swooping for Onomah is the fact that with Allen sidelined, they lack real quality depth in the middle of the park.

As starting partnerships go, Charlie Patino and Matt Grimes is a quality duo, but with just Jay Fulton really as backup, more is needed - especially with the cut-throat nature of the Championship.

And if Duff wants to revert back to a midfield three, he can add the likes of Jamie Paterson and Oli Cooper to his options - but none of the players he has have got the tendencies of Onomah, who can powerfully break through the middle of the park and make things happen.

At some point, a Championship club is going to make Onomah an offer when they're in need of a midfielder, and Swansea should perhaps try to jump to the front of the queue in a bid to make a deal happen - the 26-year-old should be affordable enough and he could be a real asset for the remainder of the campaign.