Opinion: While offer looks appealing, Swansea must tread carefully with response to Southampton transfer bid

It seems as though new Southampton manager Russell Martin is keen on a reunion with several members of his former Swansea City side at St Mary’s this season.

Already this week, midfielder Flynn Downes, who played under Martin for the Welsh club back in the 2021/22 season, has joined the Saints on a season-long loan from Premier League side West Ham while Ryan Manning joined him after leaving the Swans in the summer.

However, Martin does not look to be done there, when it comes to his pursuit of players he has previously worked with in the Championship, and his next recruit could potentially come straight from Swansea themselves.

Southampton make bid for Nathan Wood

According to a report from Sky Sports journalist Mark McAdam on Tuesday morning, Southampton have now made an offer to Swansea for the signing of centre-back Nathan Wood.

Having joined the Swans from another Championship side in Middlesbrough last summer, Wood helped the Swans to a tenth-place finish in the second tier last season under the management of Martin.

In total, the 21-year-old has made 47 appearances in all competitions for the Swans, scoring once.

It has now been suggested that Southampton have offered an initial £ 7 million to their new Championship rivals for the signing of Wood, with the potential for that fee to rise to £ 10 million with add-ons.

In the circumstances, there can be no denying that is an offer that will surely be giving the decision makers at Swansea plenty to think about.

An appealing offer

There can be no denying that this offer from Southampton, does look to have plenty of positives to it from a Swansea perspective.

Given they reportedly paid just £250,000 to Middlesbrough for Wood’s services last summer, this would be a big profit for them to make in a relatively short space of time.

Indeed, there is just a year remaining on the centre-back’s contract with Swansea – albeit with the option to extend by a further 12 months – meaning this could be their final chance to cash in on the 21-year-old for such a lucrative fee.

Not only would that give Swansea funds to reinvest in their squad, but it could also ease the pressure on them financially if their resolve is tested with offers coming in for any of their key players between now and the window closing at the end of the month.

But despite that, there is an argument that Swansea will have to be careful with their planning and response, before agreeing to any move to Southampton for Wood.

Depth needed at centre back

Already this summer, Swansea have seen the departure of one centre-back, with Joel Latibeaudiere moving on at the end of his contract, eventually joining fellow Championship side Coventry City.

Not only would letting Wood go to Southampton, therefore, see the Swans allow yet another of their divisional rivals to strengthen but it could also leave Swansea themselves worryingly short in that position.

If Wood was to leave, that could see the Swans working with just three centre-backs, in the form of Ben Cabango, Harry Darling, and Brandon Cooper, with the latter yet to establish himself at the club, managing just 11 senior appearances for the Swans, and even being linked with a move away from Swansea himself this summer, amid apparent interest from Reading.

Consequently, Wood’s departure would potentially leave Michael Duff’s side short on the options they will need at centre-back to cope with the demands of competing at this level, not least at a time when injuries and suspensions look like being more regular than ever given the heavy schedule, and stricter rules on the pitch.

Admittedly, there is nothing to stop Swansea going out and buying a centre-back with the windfall they could receive from the sale of Wood to Southampton.

But with little more than a week to go until the window closes, and any deal with the Saints still to be negotiated, that could leave the Swans with little time to source a replacement, especially given clubs may be inclined to drive a harder bargain with them, since they will be aware of the funds they have available should Wood leave the club.

With all that in mind, it seems clear there is plenty to consider for Swansea as they weigh up their response to Southampton’s bid for Wood, both in terms of what the club might see as a help to them, and what could prove to be something of a hindrance.