Swansea City are readying themselves for their toughest fight yet to keep hold of Wales skipper Ashley Williams after rejecting a £10million bid from Everton.
The 31-year-old defensive rock of club and country woke up on Sunday morning to reports that the deal had been done already to take him from South Wales to Goodison Park. While the reports stated that the deal was as good as done, Swansea in reality actually never had any bid let alone accepting it and were angered by the shocking lie which was being circulated. The only truth, which was present in those reports were of the interest of Everton.
After another disappointing campaign, Everton are in dire need of getting things back on track and new manager Ronald Koeman has got his work underway already at Goodison. The Dutch manager has identified the areas which need strengthening and has identified Ashley Williams as a prime target to shore up the backline of the club.
Williams has been the mainstay of the Swansea defence for the better part of eight years now and has been their leader on the pitch also. Since their promotion back to the Premier League, the Wales international has been one of the standout players for the Swans and gave consistent performances season after season as the Welsh club continued to thrive in the premiership.
Koeman knows all too well that adding an experienced as well as an established premier league performer to his side can be the base on which he can continue to do the reconstruction surgery of the squad at his disposal. One of the major assets of the Toffees, John Stones is unsettled at the club with Manchester City lurking. Pairing the Swansea captain with Stones would go a long way in stabilising both the player and the defence. Also, if Stones decide to leave, then with the £50m (the price which is set for him) windfall, Koeman can get some pretty decent names of world football to come and join him at Merseyside, Williams would also help the player get settled and can form a solid partnership.
At 31 years of age, Williams is good enough to do the job at the top level for two more seasons and he will be the instant fix rather than a long-term solution. Previous attempts by other Premier League clubs to lure the defender away from the Liberty Stadium have always been knocked back by either the Swans or the player himself. However, on this occasion, the two parties may each see value in a parting of the ways. For Williams, it represents the last opportunity to join a really big club, with ambitious Everton expected to target a top five finish under highly-rated Koeman this season.
If he does make the move then it would be a great deal for Everton and Koeman. A Swansea spokesman said, “We are not looking to sell him, and therefore we have turned down the offer currently on the table.”
Thus it is clear that the transfer seems to be a tough one to conclude and the Toffees would need to pay a lot more than their current offer if they are to persuade the club to sell their captain. It remains to be seen how the transfer saga unfolds in the future but if it happens then Merseyside Blue would be bringing in someone who can help them settle their backline for next season.
