Southampton, Celtic and Rangers are laughing loudest as Swansea City face £5m transfer risk | OneFootball

Southampton, Celtic and Rangers will be glad to have missed out on Elijah Just due to his underwhelming start to life at Swansea City

Swansea City have made a promising start to the new Championship season under Vitor Matos.

The Swans finished 11th in the table in the previous campaign, nine points adrift of the play-off places, but are now targeting a possible top eight finish in 2026/27.

The Welsh outfit have not competed in the Premier League since 2018, and will be aiming to end the wait for top flight football in the next 12 months.

Swansea had a busy summer in which they invested heavily in the first team squad, bringing in the likes of Joseph Opoku, Moussa Yeo, Stephen Eustaquio, Leow Walta and Elijah Just in big money moves.

Elijah Just’s difficult start at Swansea

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Just signed for Swansea in a deal worth a reported £5 million, which was a significant fee for the Championship side to splash out.

It’s still early days, but the 26-year-old has not made a strong first impression since arriving from Motherwell, despite positive results from the team overall.

The New Zealand international had featured in all six of their opening league games, starting on four occasions, but is yet to bag a goal or an assist.

Just has been utilised as a number 10, which hasn’t been effective, and he has created 1.54 chances per game, taking 1.85 shots each 90 and he has a weak combination of expected goals and assists (xG+xA) of only 0.21 per 90 (all stats from Fotmob).

The former Motherwell player simply hasn’t been dangerous enough in the final third so far.

Swansea fans raise Elijah Just concerns

Swansea supporters have raised concerns regarding Just’s position in the team, suggesting the £5 million spent was not the best use of the club’s resources.

Matos has been urged to make changes to the team, including taking the forward out of the side.

The Championship team have been told to put Ji-sung Eom into the starting lineup in Just’s place.

Fans have questioned what the 26-year-old even brings to the team, which is worrying for someone that so much money was spent on.

Southampton, Celtic and Rangers dodged a bullet

Just emerged as a transfer target for Championship rivals Southampton early in the summer market, with Celtic and Rangers also linked.

The New Zealander had an impressive Premiership campaign with Motherwell, contributing seven goals and seven assists from 35 league appearances.

He was key to the team finishing fourth in the table, which earned them a place in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers for this season.

But the trio of clubs will be glad they missed out on the £5 million deal now, based on his early performances for Swansea.

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Elijah Just can turn Swansea form around

Just is a versatile player, and has often enjoyed a lot of his best form when used out wide, instead of playing through the middle like at Swansea.

He is still only six appearances into a three year contract, so it’s far too early to write him off completely.

Fans may be losing patience already, but the more time he spends with the squad, the more time he has to adapt to his new surroundings and his new teammates.

Perhaps a stint on the wings would help him settle in better with Matos’ side, and Swansea can start to see some value from the £5 million deal.