‘Would fit right in’ – Swansea City battling Nottingham Forest for Brighton prospect: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Swansea City have reportedly been keeping tabs on Brighton defender Haydon Roberts with an eye to a January loan deal.

According to The Athletic’s Andy Naylor, the 19-year-old is also a target of Nottingham Forest.

But would he be a good signing for the Swans? And do they need him?

We quizzed our FLW writers for their thoughts…

Alfie Burns

You do get the feeling that Roberts’ style of play would really develop under Russell Martin.

There’s a link between the ‘Swansea Way’ of playing and the style Brighton want to play with Graham Potter, so it would be a move that makes complete sense.

Swansea are playing some really good football at the moment in the Championship, moving through the thirds with purpose and scoring some well crafted goals.

Roberts’ ability on the ball and willingness to take risks will only improve under Martin, which is exactly what Brighton will want.

When you look at Brighton’s pool of centre-backs, Roberts is down the pecking order and behind some really good senior options.

There’s no shame in sourcing him a loan, it just has to be the right one.

Swansea fits like a glove.

Chris Thorpe

He’s a player that performed well for Rochdale on loan last season despite the fact that they got relegated.

I know he’s a player that Brighton have big hopes for, so it’s no shock that they want him loaned to a higher level.

He’d fit in well with Swansea’s possession-based style and has experience of playing in a back three.

I’d say he’s also a player that Russell Martin needs as they do lack significant depth at the back.

All in all, this seems like a positive potential move for all parties involved.

30 questions about Swansea City’s best strikers from the last 5 years – Can you score 30/30?

Ben Wignall

With Rhys Williams not getting the game-time that he probably would have expected at the Liberty Stadium, there are reasons to believe that he’ll head back to Liverpool in January.

That would mean that Russell Martin needs a new centre-back and there may not be many more better suited in the Premier League development squads to his style than Roberts right now.

He may not have made a Premier League appearance yet for Brighton but he’s been on the bench in most matches this season which suggests Graham Potter rates him very highly.

The 19-year-old already has EFL experience thanks to a loan spell with Rochdale – spending time at Spotland did Robert Sanchez no harm as he’s now thriving as a starter at the Seagulls and another loan for Roberts looks to be the best course of action.

He’s not getting ahead of the plethora of defenders that Potter has at his disposal anytime soon and the fact he is comfy on the ball will mean he would fit right in at Swansea.

The teenager would also offer some more balance being left-footed – Ryan Manning has done well in an unfamiliar role of a left-sided defender in a back three but bringing Roberts in could give him more freedom to play in a wing-back role.