, Comment: This Swansea City youngster should not be loaned out next season, he deserves a chance in the first-team

Comment: This Swansea City youngster should not be loaned out next season, he deserves a chance in the first-team

Swansea City have had a fair share of exciting youth prospects over the years, and right now is no different for the club.

The Swans have a lot of promising talent in the U23s and out on loan at the moment, and one person who should be considered for next season’s first-team plans instead of being loaned out is Oli Cooper.

Cooper joined Swansea City at U12s level and has made a few appearances for the club in the FA Cup, and three in the league since 2021.

In the 2021/22 season he was loaned out to fellow Welsh club Newport County, who were in the fight for the League Two play-off spots. He played well at Rodney Parade, accruing an average match rating of 6.83 according to WhoScored, and tallying up one goal and nine assists.

While he may not have set the world alight in League Two, his talents and position are somewhere where the Swans need to improve over the Summer to sustain a consistent flow of creativity.

One of Swansea City’s weaker areas this season has been the consistency in attacking midfield, where Cooper plays, and when their key attacking midfield option Jamie Paterson hasn’t played, wins have been lacking.

Paterson’s attacking contributions and presence on the pitch have been vital in any success for Russell Martin’s side, and he was certainly missed when absent. He’s always looking for a forward-thinking ball and is willing to take risks few others will.

, Comment: This Swansea City youngster should not be loaned out next season, he deserves a chance in the first-team

While Olivier Ntcham also offers this diversity, and arguably a classier touch going forward, he doesn’t do it as consistently as Paterson does for the Swans.

Outside of those two options, Swansea City are rather bare in the attacking midfield department.

Joel Piroe has played there in the latter parts of the season to good effect, but with two of these positions being available in Russell Martin’s formation, back-up and depth are always key.

Cooper has been held in high regard by Newport County fans this season as someone who can make an impact. That could be of value to Swansea City, especially given that options off the bench hardly inspired in the season just gone.

Swansea City’s depth is probably the one thing everyone can agree has harmed their play-offs push this year, along with the transition to the new style, which took until February/March to click.

With an extra attacking midfielder who is of decent quality, and can only improve, in the ranks at Swansea City, and is capable of making an impact, the club may not need to look outside of SA1 to solve its depth issues in the heart of its attacks.

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