Laird Arrives

Yankee_Jack

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
www.swanseacity.com

Ethan Laird joins Swansea City on loan | Swansea

Swansea City has completed the signing of Ethan Laird on loan from Manchester United, subject to international clearance.
www.swanseacity.com www.swanseacity.com


Ethan Laird joins on loan from United. If this kid is as good as Guehi then Bennett is done and our back three becomes Cabango, Cooper, Laird. Not that Manning is not worth a look, but this would give us a technically solid back line.

apparently he cal play anywhere across the back line. Maybe he’ll replace Lati at RWB

Next step …#10?
 
ivoralljack

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
We definitely need a #10 and it's a shame that we missed out on Pablo who was released by Leeds. He could really have done a job for us at this level and would have been fighting fit coming from a Bielsa team.
 
KVetch

KVetch

Key Player
Love it, there was an article saying Blackpool was going to make a move for him. Glad we got him, I hope this doesn't mean Bidwell or Roberts goes. Depth is good.


I've seen his height as 5'10" Transfermarkt has him only at 1.77 meters which can't be right. He may be even closer to 6' we need that height. Looks like a great player on right or left back.
 
KVetch

KVetch

Key Player
The highlights of him last season with the Dons are not what I expected he looks like a midfielder with lots of his plays. Gets far forward. Making crosses, getting past defenders with nutmeg, not afraid to make a risky tackle. Going up a couple of levels but he is going to be fantastic for us. Some player.

Not sure how we use him and Roberts together. Really would hate to lose Bidwell who is still our player.
 
CroJack

CroJack

Key Player
ivoralljack said:
Think I read that Boro? are interested in him.
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I think so. I like Jake, but he is hopelessly left-footed, and I'm not sure Martin's style suits him. When you watch how Roberts and Laird attack opposition box, then it's clear we need something similar on the opposite flank. Bidwell can provide pin-point crosses but that's it.
 
Behindthegoal

Behindthegoal

Key Player
He had Nathan Dyer’s shirt number at MKD and that’s not the only similarity. I lost count of the number of potential assist passes that weren’t converted. Up a level now, our quality front men will be loving him.
He seems to be rightsided so ,as above , is it Laird/Roberts?
Our new manager is not averse to giving the players new roles so maybe Laird IS our new #10.
 
CroJack

CroJack

Key Player
Behindthegoal said:
Our new manager is not averse to giving the players new roles so maybe Laird IS our new #10
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If we do that then we'll lose creativity on the right flank. And who knows when Roberts will be match fit. When Paterson gain some fitness he'll be ok in no. 10 role.
 
Yankee_Jack

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Admittedly I haven't seen much of Paterson, but what I have seen indicates limitations that I don't think work for him nor us.

He has a propensity to try turn up his own arse with the ball - defenders love that, Paterson is basically containing himself and in short order gets dispossessed.

He can't cross or is unwilling to cross. The one cross he put over against Sheffield was over the top of the last man.

I don't think he's one to take players on ... compare to say Whittaker who has no hesitation in doing that ... is it a perceived lack of pace or trickery. Whatever it is, he's limited in that regard. He reminds a tad of Pablo, but without the flare.

Early days and perhaps he'll prove me wrong, but I don't see him as a leader and starter as a #10. So far he's played left side midfield. Against Sheffield he received a lot of the ball in loads of space on the left side, especially in the first half, and did remarkably little with it despite Bidwell being more aggressive than usual in his forward positioning. Not a fair comparison perhaps, but Montero would have absolutely loved and exploited those opportunities.
 
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CroJack

CroJack

Key Player
Yankee_Jack said:
Against Sheffield he received a lot of the ball in loads of space on the left side, especially in the first half, and did remarkably little
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True, but he created our best chance in that game. As for the lack of crosses from the left flank I expected more crosses from Bidwell than from Paterson. Paterson job should not be crossing but putting through balls and lobbed passes from the central positions outside the opposition box. My main complain when it comes to Paterson contribution in the Sheffield game is that he didn't play more centrally. I think he got orders from Russell to play more on the left side in order to give support to Bidwell. We all know Bidwell can't take on opposition defenders, his force is running behind them and putting crosses in the opposition box. Laird, on the other hand, doesn't need any support, he can dribble. That's why I said Bidwell's days with us could be numbered.
 
Yankee_Jack

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
Agree with you @CroJack ... Paterson was definitely positioned out wide instead of centrally on orders; otherwise I'm sure Martin would have corrected early on.

Bidwell functions well as a LWB - knows his limitations and executes well, usually, within them and pretty consistently. Bidwell and Lati were both it seemed under orders to play higher up the field than say under Andy Pandy.

Laird by all accounts is a master in waiting in a number of rolls. It will be interesting to see where Martin chooses to play him.

I wouldn't be surprised if Martin repurposes players as we move into October. Grimes, Fulton and Roberts being good candidates. Grimes' versatility was on display when used by Potter in the City cup tie. Fulton has shown that he can be effective at finishing. Roberts is a crazy man in the box in a forward position ... but could easily be the box-to-box dynamo we have really been lacking for years. Not sure what that would do for his international career but he could be stellar in that role for us.
 
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