Vitor Matos drops new hint on Zan Vipotnik's Swansea City future | OneFootball

Last season's top scorer, Zan Vipotnik, could still leave Swansea this summer, with other transfer windows still open

Swansea City boss Vitor Matos admitted that talisman Zan Vipotnik's future is still up in the air, despite the EFL transfer window closing, as other countries' windows are still open.

The Swans have made a brilliant start to the campaign in Matos' first full year in charge, leading the way in the Championship after four games and keeping three clean sheets on the spin, too.

What's more impressive is that they're doing it all without last season's top scorer, Vipotnik, making much of an impact. The Slovenian netted 23 times last year, but has only started once in league action so far this term and is yet to get on the goalscoring charts.

Adam Idah has been the main man to call upon for the Swansea head coach to lead the line, and he was involved in both goals in Tuesday's 2-0 win. With the Irishman starting hot and Vipotnik in reserve, Matos has himself quite the dangerous striker core in South Wales.

Vitor Matos delivers Zan Vipotnik transfer update following the EFL window's closure

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There was even more good news on Tuesday night following Swansea's table-topping display against Watford, in that the transfer window closed without Vipotnik leaving the club.

However, those in South Wales aren't breathing a massive sigh of relief just yet, as there's still the potential that the 24-year-old could be subject to interest from clubs abroad whose transfer window has yet to slam shut.

Portuguese giants Benfica and Sporting were touted as possible suitors for Vipotnik earlier in the summer, and with their window staying open until September 15, there's still the possibility that they could swoop in for last season's Golden Boot winner.

"There are still some markets that are open," Matos stated following Swansea's win over Watford. "So you never know what happens. But at the moment, as I said, he's here, and I'm really happy if he stays.

"We all love him. It's not easy in terms of dealing with all the noise. Of course, but we are here to take care of him.

"We hope he is here, but that is the hard part of the transfer window is that some markets are still open that are massive opportunities for players."

How Swansea City fans have reacted to a possible late Zan Vipotnik departure

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With Vipotnik extending his stay in South Wales towards the end of the campaign, Swansea were able to demand a £20 million fee during the transfer window when Premier League new boys Hull City came knocking.

At the time, it would have been a good fee for the Slovenian frontman and would have given the Swans a lot of room to bolster the rest of their squad. Now, though, they can't make signings anymore.

Therefore, the majority of fans online are hoping that their talisman from last season stays, as losing a striker without the prospect of replacing him could derail a strong start.

"Strange. Window closing, normally feels like the end of speculation. Different vibe to this. Vipotnik’s performances so far under a cloud too. Pity if he leaves so late and with the club starting the season extremely well," one Swansea fan said on X in response to Matos' admission.

"Why would we sell him now? [Ross] Stewart is still injured, leaving one striker could destroy our entire season with a lack of options," another questioned.

One fan stated that he hopes the only bid that Swansea would accept at this point is "an extraordinary fee from a club in Turkey," whose window closes on Friday.

While one or two fans are almost expecting Vipotnik to leave, given how sparingly he's been used so far, some are admitting that his body language hasn't looked right so far this season, with him being named on the bench more often than he's started in games.

"Vippy didn’t look right when he came on at all so something could be brewing," and "After what I seen from Vipotnik tonight, with his warm up before he came on and during the game, I won't be shocked if he's gone tbh," were amongst the comments.

Selling Zan Vipotnik would be nonsensical at this stage, even if Swansea City look good without him

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Some may look at Swansea's performances so far this season with Idah leading the line and think that they can cope without Vipotnik, and if the opportunity to bank around £20 million comes around, they should take it.

However, with the club unable to use that money straight away to source a replacement, it seems slightly nonsensical.

Ross Stewart went down with a quad injury last week, meaning that, if Vipotnik was sold, there's a chance that Idah would be the only recognised striker at the club if the Scotsman's injury issues persist.

If Swansea continues to cope without the 24-year-old, perhaps a move in January could materialise, but as long as Vitor Matos' side can't replace last season's top scorer, they should be doing everything they can to keep him at the club.