Opinion: Swansea must take immediate action involving 29-year-old as Championship interest swirls | OneFootball

With Swansea City losing the high-earning Andre Ayew over the summer after another good Championship season for the Ghanaian, the Welsh side needed an added creative spark to not only bring goals but also assists.

Joel Piroe has provided a hatful of strikes after his arrival from PSV but someone who has brought both to the table to perhaps the surprise of many is Jamie Paterson.

The 29-year-old started the summer off as a free agent with Bristol City releasing him following the expiry of his contract.

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Paterson had been at the Robins since 2016 but in his final season suffered with some injuries that kept him on the sidelines for half of that campaign, ending it with just 20 appearances.

A trial spell with Middlesbrough in pre-season didn’t amount to anything but on the eve of the Championship season beginning, Paterson signed a one-year contract with Russell Martin’s side and his impact has been astonishing.

Paterson has racked up eight goals and four assists in 20 games and is pivotal to how the Swans play, with a lot of attacks coming through him.

It’s not gone unnoticed though as per a report from the Daily Mail, West Brom and other Championship sides are watching with interest ahead of the January transfer window.

The Baggies are lacking a bit of a cutting edge right now and Valerien Ismael reportedly believes that Paterson can help in that sense – but his actual contract situation means that it’s unlikely the attacking midfielder’s Swansea deal will actually expire this summer.

A certain amount of appearances will trigger a one-year extension to Paterson’s deal and considering he’s played in every league match this season it seems likely that it will be reached.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that Swansea won’t be tempted by bids in January – a player with Paterson’s record currently is going to attract interest naturally.

But there’s clearly some ambition at the club despite selling Jamal Lowe and Connor Roberts in the summer. Matt Grimes just signed a new long-term deal, Olivier Ntcham was convinced to arrive at the Liberty Stadium and Piroe has proven to be a revelation up-front.

With the impact that Paterson has had on the whole, a fresh contract should be being put on the table in-front of him as soon as possible to deter any potential interest from elsewhere.

He did struggle with injuries last season and he’s now 29 years old, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down and most importantly has kept fit this season, so it would make a lot of sense to try and get an extended stay out of him – potentially until 2024.