Swansea City told to exploit Birmingham City situation for Manuel Benson replacement | OneFootball

FLW's Swansea Fan Pundit Will believes Manuel Benson would be not great loss and Lewis Koumas could well be a good replacement.

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…

After a tough start to the campaign, Swansea City will be expected to majorly pick up in the second-half of the campaign, now under the management of former Maritimo boss Vitor Matos, who replaced Alan Sheehan last month.

The Jacks have a seemingly very talented squad and there will be a belief that they can begin to put a run of form together to surge back up the table in the wake of their recent back-to-back to nil home wins against Oxford United and Portsmouth.

One of the players that make up their strong squad, on paper, would be Burnley loanee Manuel Benson, who arrived in South Wales on a season-long loan deal from the Clarets right at the end of the summer.

The Angola international winger has struggled to make an impression at the Swansea.com Stadium, though, and, as he prepares to go to AFCON with Angola, Swansea boss Matos has refused to confirm whether or not he will return to the Swans in January or whether his loan move from Lancashire will be terminated.

Lewis Koumas tipped to potentially replace Manuel Benson at Swansea City

Having been a key man for Burnley as they romped to the 2022/23 Championship title, Benson’s stock has fallen significantly with limited minutes and not much impact for Swansea so far this season.

The departure of the former Belgium youth international would be no great blow for FLW’s Swansea Fan Pundit Will Hughes, and it could open the door for another incoming, with Will suggesting a move for Lewis Koumas could be on the cards.

Will says: “If he does go back to Burnley then, I’ll be honest, it wouldn’t really bother me. It just hasn’t worked out if I’m being honest.

“There was so much optimism with that signing when he came in the day after deadline day. Having watched his highlights and knowing how good he was at Burnley that year that they got promoted under (Vincent) Kompany.

“You’re thinking ‘oh my gosh, we might have signed a demon here’. If this guy can be fit, and he’s half the player he was that season at Burnley, then we could be laughing.

“Ultimately, though, when he’s played, he hasn’t looked fit, and he just can’t get in the team really. I don’t know whether there is an attitude problem but, ultimately, I don’t think he’s a player that we’d miss to be honest with you.

“I do think we do need another right-winger, just to offer us something a bit different. Ideally, someone who is comfortable tucking in and shooting, as we don’t have that on the right-hand side at the moment, with Ronald being more of a touchline winger, going on the outside.

“For me, I’m not too bothered if he goes back. It would be a shame because, as I say, every part of me wanted him to do well but, ultimately, he’s not fit. Then let him go to Angola with the national team for AFCON and I doubt Burnley are going to be too impressed that he hasn’t played too many games. So, let him go back and we can get somebody else in.

“Who that person is, I’m not sure. I’m hearing Lewis Koumas as Liverpool, aren’t happy that he hasn’t played as many games as they would have expected at Birmingham and that doesn’t really surprise me with the amount of players that they bought.

“So potentially, if he goes back to Liverpool, then we could dip in and that would be great, especially with the fact that Matos will have worked with him before, being at Liverpool, or certainly would have known him.

“If that became an option, then I would 100% look to exercise that but, as I say, my ideal pick would be someone who is left-footed and can cut inside and potentially score from wide areas, because that’s the one thing we don’t have is goals from wide options.

“The only winger at the club to have scored is Ronald and the goals have dried up with him now. That would be my dream would be to get someone in, potentially in the loan market.”

Lewis Koumas could be a good fit for Swansea

Having come through the academy at Liverpool, 20-year-old Chester-born Koumas, the son of former West Bromwich Albion midfielder Jason, has scored in his only first-team appearance for the Reds.

He was shipped out on loan to the Championship last season but struggled to make a massive impact, despite glimpses of quality, while at the Bet365 Stadium with Stoke City.

This time around, he was moved to Birmingham, following their promotion to the second-tier, but has struggled to make an impact once again in what is a massive Blues squad.

Koumas, who is a winger that has also played in an attacking midfield role during his youth days as well as up-front, could be the man to provide that spark of goals from out-wide for Swansea that Will mentions is something that is required.

With only two players, full-back Josh Tymon and winger Eom Ji-sung, having managed to create more than just two big chances in the league so far this season, then another attacker is probably required for Matos to work with and Koumas could be a good market opportunity for Swansea to exploit, should his loan with Birmingham be cut short.