Swansea City need to take a look at player at Dutch club as a Ryan Manning replacement: Opinion | OneFootball

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Football League World

·24 March 2023

Swansea City need to take a look at player at Dutch club as a Ryan Manning replacement: Opinion

Article image:Swansea City need to take a look at player at Dutch club as a Ryan Manning replacement: Opinion

Sitting 16th in the Championship standings at present, 14 points from the play-offs and 11 points above the drop-zone, it is set to be a rather uneventful end to this second-tier campaign for Swansea City you would think.

The positive that comes with knowing what division you will be playing your football in next season is that the club's recruitment team can assemble a definitive list of targets that will not be impacted by the possibility of promotion or relegation.


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That is the situation at the Swansea.com Stadium with eight games left to play, barring anything too abnormal, with the Swans hierarchy likely to be assessing their options for the opening of the summer transfer window.

Of course, there are players within the squad who will attract admiring glances from the higher divisions or from those clubs with bigger Championship budgets, with Joel Piroe perhaps the standout when it comes to expected player interest.

However, one situation that the Swans know they will have to deal with during the summer transfer window is finding a Ryan Manning replacement, as the left-sided player is set to depart.

In a conversation with Wales Online last month, Swans boss Russell Martin admitted that Manning would not be signing an extension in South Wales and will depart as a free agent.

One player who could be targeted by Martin and Co. ahead of the opening of the next window is Fortuna Sittard full-back George Cox, who is set to see his contract with the Dutch club expire in the summer.

The 25-year-old, who has now amassed over 100 Eredivisie appearances since swapping Brighton for The Netherlands in 2020, penning down a three-year deal upon his arrival.

Cox has emerged on the radars of Championship clubs during his time at Fortuna Sittard and this summer could be the perfect time for the second-tier to pounce.

A technically-gifted and intelligent left-sided option, he would fit the stylistic demands at Swansea and could be deemed as a suitable replacement for the soon-to-be-departing 26-year-old.

Swansea are a side that are tactically flexible and have operated with a solid four at the back and with three central defenders, with Cox being a player who can produce a high standard of performance both as a full-back or as a wing-back.

Possessing lots of energy and a real tenacity off the ball, whilst being someone who can make an impact in the final third, as evidenced by his 18 goals contributions in three seasons with the Dutch club, he could be exactly what the Swans need moving on from Manning.

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