"It is a shoo-in" - Swansea City tipped to be raided by Sheffield United in double summer transfer prediction | OneFootball

The Swans look set for a major period of upheaval during the off-season with changes on and off the pitch

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Swansea City have had something of a forgettable season in the second tier, with the Welsh outfit still struggling to find any sort of identity on the pitch.

The Swans parted ways with boss Luke Williams in February following a wretched run of form, with Alan Sheehan taking charge on an interim basis over the past few weeks.

Results have improved slightly, leaving City six points above the drop zone with eight matches remaining, with things still a bit too close for comfort at the bottom of the table for their liking.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s Swansea fan pundit Will Hughes about two predictions for the summer transfer window, with a big shake-up at the club expected once a new permanent manager is announced.

Harry Darling tipped to make Sheffield United switch as Swansea City departure looms

It is no secret that Harry Darling is preparing for life after Swansea City, with the defender prepared to let his contract in Wales elapse this summer, and move elsewhere on a free transfer during the off-season.

Having signed from MK Dons in 2022, the 25-year-old has featured in over 100 league matches for the Swans during his time with the club, and has established himself as a player of substantial Championship quality.

Sheffield United and Bristol City both expressed interest in the centre-back in January - as well as League One leaders Birmingham City - but it is the Premier League-chasing Blades that Hughes believes could be Darling’s next destination once his time with his club comes to an end.

When asked to think about the summer’s talking points, the Swansea fan said: “The first prediction is that Harry Darling is going to leave, I think that is a given to be honest.

“I think it was a given before Luke Williams and [chairman] Andy Coleman left, the fact that he chose not to sign a contract extension… I think his eyes are looking elsewhere.

“Sheffield United were looking at him, if they get promoted and they come in for him, I think it is a shoo-in that he goes there.

“If not, you have got Bristol City who will finish higher than us this season. They have had a good push towards the play-offs, so you could potentially look at that as progression. Of course, his ex-manager Liam Manning is there as well, so that could sway him to go there.

“It is a shame that we will be losing him on a free, because as much as I don’t think he is as good as people say, I think we could have had a decent transfer fee if we had sold him sooner, or extended his contract and enabling us to sell him for a fee.”

Swansea City optimism ahead of summer transfer window plans

After two successive transfer windows which have ultimately go on to be disappointments, Hughes has high hopes for the summer, with Andy Coleman set to leave his role as chairman, while Paul Watson has departed from his post as sporting director.

The next few months give City the perfect opportunity to rip things up and start again, and with things close to hitting rock-bottom in terms of recruitment strategy and optimism at the club, the Swans fan is hopeful things will turn around once the transfer window opens.

Will continued: “I am going to go a bit more positive with the second prediction, just out of blind faith really.

“We have had two very poor summer transfer windows over the past two years - with one or two gems being signed - and I am going to say that we have a better summer than we have done over the past two years.

“That is purely for the fact that surely they can’t get any worse! We actually have people employed at the club now who have footballing brains, whereas before we had Andy Coleman who may be a very good businessman, but he is on the floor in terms of football knowledge; not a clue.

“Then you have Paul Watson...how he got the job I don’t know, he has made some very strange signings with the likes of Mykola Kukharevych, Nathan Tjoe-A-On [pictured], Kristian Pedersen… just to name a few. Then you look at disastrous signings like Jerry Yates, Charlie Patino and Harrison Ashby.

“So out of complete blind faith and optimism I think we will have a better transfer window, whether we will bring in all the players that are required, because I do think we need a good few.

“I do think we need some genuine talent that will improve us. What areas of the pitch? I don’t know, we will have to wait and see on that. But I just think surely we can’t have as bad a window as the last two.

“Fingers crossed we can bring in players that can improve us, because if we don’t then we will be in a heap of trouble yet again.”