Football League World
·16. Januar 2025
Football League World
·16. Januar 2025
The South Wales outfit are looking towards Teesside in a bid to add some more creativity to their ranks
Swansea City's search for creative reinforcements has seen them move on to Middlesbrough attacking midfielder Alex Gilbert, with a move for the 23-year-old lined up, sources have exclusively told Football League World.
The South Wales side, managed by Luke Williams, currently sit slap-bang in the middle of the pack in 12th position in the Championship table, and are seven points adrift of the play-off spots as it currently stands.
City are yet to add to their ranks in the month of January in the transfer window, but amid a whole host of links to advanced midfielders, they are now looking towards Teesside for a fresh face.
FLW has been informed that Birmingham-born Gilbert is now on Williams' radar as he searches for new players to add something different to his squad for the final 20 league matches of 2024-25.
Gilbert, who came through the West Brom academy as a youngster, has been a Middlesbrough player since the summer of 2023, signing for the North East outfit from Brentford's B team on a four-year deal.
Despite technically being a free agent following his Bees exit, Gilbert cost a reported £1 million in compensation due to his age, but he has not appeared for Boro much in his 18 months at the Riverside Stadium.
The Republic of Ireland youth international has racked up just 23 appearances in that time period, although he made an impact at the end of last season under Michael Carrick, scoring once and assisting three times in Championship action in just 181 minutes on the pitch from his final six outings.
Game-time has been even harder to come by in the second tier for Gilbert either side of a knee injury picked up in training, with just eight appearances in all competitions during 2024-25, although he did find the back of the net with a winning goal in Boro's 1-0 win over Hull City on New Year's Day, having come off the bench just five minutes prior.
Playing second fiddle to Finn Azaz though in the number 10 role under Carrick, Gilbert may potentially be open to an exit from his current club, with Swansea waiting to make a move.
It looks as though the midfield area is one where Williams is keen on strengthening at the Swansea.com Stadium, based on other links this month.
The Swans head coach confirmed that Barnsley talisman Adam Phillips is a player he is aware of, but is "not sure" how far down the line the hierarchy is with a potential deal for the Tykes goal-getter.
Saudi Arabian midfielder Abdulmalik Al-Jaber - plying his trade in Bosnia & Herzegovina for Željezničar - has also been reportedly of interest to City, whilst FLW exclusively revealed that Blackburn Rovers number 10 Tyrhys Dolan is on the club's extensive transfer radar.
Gilbert is the latest player that Swansea are considering a move for though, and only time will tell as to whether they are able to prise him away from Teesside.