Football League World
·18 August 2024
4 exciting Swansea City starlets that could make the club serious money
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Football League World
·18 August 2024
FLW take a look at some players who could make Swansea City money in the years to come
Swansea City have developed a reputation as a club with a strong academy in recent seasons, and selling former academy products has brought huge money into the club.
The likes of Ben Davies, Joe Rodon, Connor Roberts, Daniel James and Oli McBurnie, have all come through the ranks at Swansea's Landore Academy training ground before being sold for huge profit in recent years.
Swansea currently have a number of first-team players who came through their academy in the form of Ben Cabango, Ollie Cooper and Liam Cullen, while the likes of Ali Al-Hamadi and Rhys Norrington-Davies also came through the ranks in SA1, showing the stature of the Swans' academy.
The club have shown they're not afraid to give promising young players first-team opportunities, and with that in mind, here are the four youngsters who could make Swansea City serious money in the future.
Cardiff-born right-back Sam Parker was thrown in at the deep end as a 17-year-old last season when he started away to Coventry City under interim boss Alan Sheehan, but he impressed at the CBS Arena and looked experienced beyond his years.
He started two further games, Luke Williams' first two as Swansea boss, but he suffered a nasty injury and hasn't featured since.
The now 18-year-old signed a professional contract at the club last season which will keep him in SA1 until the summer of 2026, but discussions over a new, improved deal have stalled amid Premier League interest.
In April, Williams told the BBC: "It was certainly something I was very keen for the club to do (offering him a new deal).
"Because I think when you're in a dark place because you've had it confirmed you'll be missing the rest of the season at least... if you're then going to be given a contract, it can show commitment from the club and can give you extra motivation.
“But apparently not. Everyone's got to do what they think is right for them. I like the young ones that say 'thanks very much' and don't even look when they sign it. But everyone is different."
As it stands, Parker is still a Swansea player, and they'll hope to thrash out a new deal, with the player being someone who could make them serious money in the future.
19-year-old central defender Filip Lissah joined Swansea after leaving Chelsea's academy in 2021, and he's regarded as someone with a bright future in south Wales.
He captained Swansea's U21 side to the Welsh League Cup final last season where they were defeated by The New Saints, and was involved in a number of Championship squads under Luke Williams, sitting on the bench on nine occasions last season.
He made his first-team debut for Swansea in tough circumstances, coming off the bench in a 5-0 defeat to Bournemouth in the FA Cup, but his side didn't concede during his 14 minutes on the pitch, which will be pleasing for Lissah.
Lissah will be looking for his Championship breakthrough this season, and was recently tipped by one of Wales Online's football writers for a big season at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Swansea are short of centre-backs with just Harry Darling, Ben Cabango and Kristian Pedersen on their books, and it would be a surprise should Lissah not see more first-team action this season.
Midfielder Joel Cotterill was handed his Swansea debut as a 17-year-old back in August 2022, and the Welsh age-grade international is seen as someone with the potential to be a first-team star at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Cotterill is currently out on loan with Swindon Town, and he started their first game of the season against Chesterfield, playing the full 90 minutes, and a season of League Two football will be very beneficial for his development.
This is Cotterill's second EFL loan spell, having spent time with League Two winners Stockport County last season, perhaps understandably struggling for playing time at Edgeley Park given their success, and he played just 12 times before being recalled by Swansea in January.
It's clear that the 19-year-old is too good to be playing U21's football, so playing senior football at League Two level against experienced players will be hugely beneficial for his career at Swansea going forward.
If the first weekend of the season is anything to go by, Cotterill will be a regular starter at the County Ground this season, and this could be a real season of development for the player who joined Swansea 12 years ago as a 7-year-old.
18-year-old winger Aimar Govea made five Championship appearances for Swansea towards the end of the 2023/24 season, and it's clear he is a player that Williams rates highly.
It seems as if he's not just highly-rated at Swansea either, with Italian giants Juventus reportedly interested in a move for him earlier this summer, showing just how much potential the young Ecuadorian has.
A move to Turin is yet to materialise, but if Govea continues to play at Championship level this season, there's no reason why more clubs of Juve's stature won't be keeping tabs on him, and he looks like someone who could bring in big money for Swansea in the future.
Govea was playing in the Championship as a 17-year-old at a time when there was still a possibility of Swansea being drawn into a relegation battle, and it shows that the club are willing to give youngsters opportunities in the first-team, no matter what the circumstances are.
Doing this has made the club big money in the past, and it would be a surprise if Govea, or one of the other three players mentioned, haven't made Swansea money in the years to come.