Luke Williams expecting Southampton FC transfer action involving Swansea City player | OneFootball

Swansea City manager Luke Williams admits he is expecting Southampton to again be interested in signing centre back Nathan Wood in the summer transfer window.

Southampton enjoyed a successful 2023/24 campaign, winning promotion from the Championship to the Premier League at the first attempt, after beating Leeds United in the play-off final.

Russell Martin's side must therefore now prepare a squad capable of competing in the top-flight of English football in the coming campaign.

That will of course, mean bringing players in with the transfer market open, in order to boost the options available to Martin at St Mary's.

Now it seems as though Swansea are braced for the possibility that Wood will be one of those the Saints once again attempt to sign.

Luke Williams expecting Southampton interest in Nathan Wood

Martin is of course, no stranger to Wood, having been the manager who signed him for Swansea from another Championship club, Middlesbrough, back in the summer of 2022.

Southampton were then reported to have had multiple bids for Wood rejected last summer, after Martin had left the Swans to take charge at St Mary's.

While no deal has so far materialised, the Saints' bosses knowledge of the centre back means Williams is expecting there to be renewed interest in Wood from Southampton this summer.

When asked if he thinks Southampton could be one of the club who look at signing the 22-year-old this summer, the Swansea boss told BBC Sport: “As head coaches, you can see the quality of a player on the pitch but unless you have worked with them, it’s very difficult to get a grasp of their personality.

“Unfortunately, Russell has worked with Nathan Wood and knows what a gem he is. I know there has been [previous] interest, then when we played Southampton [in January] they talked about how much they liked him, which is normal.

“I guess that interest hasn’t vanished, so I would expect them to be at least one of the clubs who are interested in him now.”

Since joining Swansea two years ago, Wood has made 72 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring once in that time.

As things stand, there is just a year remaining on the centre back's contract with the Swans, meaning this could be the club's last chance to cash in on him.

Last season, Swansea finished 14th in the Championship table, 16 points adrift of the play-off places, and seven clear of the relegation zone.

Nathan Wood situation will be a concern for Swansea City

It is hard not to feel as though Williams and co. will be concerned about the future of Wood given the situation.

As the Swans manager said himself, it would be no huge surprise to see Southampton reignite their interest in the centre back this summer, given his connection to Martin.

If that does happen, then Swansea may find themselves under pressure to sell the 22-year-old, considering this may be their last chance to do so as he enters the final 12 months of his contract.

Meanwhile, Southampton themselves ought to be in an even stronger financial position now, since they are a Premier League club once again.

That means they should be able to afford Swansea's asking price for Wood, who would no doubt be tempted by the chance to play in the Premier League, and reunite with Martin.

As a result, it may now be difficult for the Championship club to retain his services, which will be a concern given his importance to the side.

However, the fee they may be able to bring in if he does move on this summer, could at least help Swansea in terms of other signings they might be able to make.

With that in mind, these comments from Williams may prove rather telling when it comes to how things could play out for his side over the course of the transfer window.