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Here’s your round-up of all the latest Swansea City news for Friday, January 17.
Thomas heads back out on loan
Swansea City have recalled young striker Josh Thomas from his loan spell at Bromley – and have already sent him back out for a temporary spell with Irish side Drogheda United.
The 22-year-old has joined the League of Ireland Premier side until December 31, 2025, having made three appearances in League Two, where he had spent the first half of the season playing alongside fellow young Swan Cameron Congreve. Sign up to our Swansea City newsletter here.
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Drogheda, avoided relegation from the top flight after a 3-1 victory in the survival play-off final over Bray Wanderers. They also won the Sports Direct FAI Cup for the second time in November 2024 following a 2-0 win against Derry City in Dublin.
Thomas, a Wales Under-21 international, made his senior debut for the Swans on the opening day, making a late appearance off the bench against Middlesbrough.
McLaughlin extends stay
Jon McLaughlin has penned an extension that will keep him at Swansea City until the end of the 2024-25 season.
The 37-year-old joined the club on a short-term deal in the summer, and his contract was due to expire this month.
However, with Andy Fisher and Nathan Broome both heading out on loan, the Scotland international is now set to be the club’s number two option behind first-choice goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux.
Having featured for the Swans in the recent FA Cup defeat to Southampton at the weekend, he has now signed terms through to the end of June.
Cullen – derby day always special
Lifelong Swans fan Liam Cullen says he still feels he has a point to prove in the South Wales derby at Cardiff City Stadium this weekend.
Cullen didn’t feature in the away fixture in the capital last season, but has an impressive record in derby matches so far, and is going in search of his fourth goal in as many starts in this fixture.
“It’s the game everyone looks for as soon as the fixtures were released. You look for the first game, and then the reverse fixture,” said Cullen.
“It’s an exciting one, hopefully we can go there and get a positive result. The preparation isn’t different, because the staff have us so well prepared for every game. The anticipation is different, the excitement is different and there’s that extra bit of edge to this game, especially for someone like me.
“I’m one of the ones alongside the senior guys, who have been here a long time. And then the academy boys like me, Ollie [Cooper], and Ben [Cabango], let them all know how much it means.
“Last year, I didn’t start in the away fixture. And that’s something I remember, and I will take that into the game along with all the highs. There’s a lot of things I take into this game, and they only motivate me.”
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Franco – I feel the passion
Goncalo Franco claims the South Wales derby is the biggest he’s played in, and says the players have had no shortage of reminders about just how important it is to get the better of bitter rivals Cardiff City.
“I have played in derbies in Portugal, but small derbies,” he told BBC Sport Wales. “They were special games, but not like this one. This game is bigger. It’s similar to Benfica-Sporting, Porto-Benfica. It’s very big.
“One guy stopped the car in the middle of the road. He said: ‘Franco, on Saturday we need to win’,” recalls the midfielder.
“He stopped the traffic so we could have a photo. He told me: ‘I have a ticket for the game, but it’s not in the Swansea section’. I said good luck to him.”