Swansea City

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Swansea City's Cameron Burgess helped Australia begin their World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Turkey in Vancouver.

The 30-year-old defender was one of three centre-backs as the Socceroos remained resolute to post a clean sheet despite Turkey dominating the game with 71.7% possession and 30 shots on goal, eight on target.

Watford's Nestory Irankunda scored in the first half before Connor Metcalfe added a second after the break.

Scotland-born Burgess, who played the full 90 minutes, was winning his 28th Australia cap after a season in which he played 51 all-competition games for Swansea.

The Socceroos' next game in Group D is against co-hosts United States in Seattle on Friday, 19 June (20:00 BST).

Burgess is the second Swansea player to appear at this summer's tournament after winger Eom Jisung made his World Cup debut as a substitute in South Korea's 2-1 Group A victory over Czech Republic in Guadalajara on Friday.

Swans midfielder Marko Stamenic is in line to play for New Zealand when they face Iran in Group G on Tuesday, 16 June (02:00 BST), having started the warm-up friendly defeat against England.

BBC Wales football reporters Ian Hunt and Gareth Vincent pay tribute to former Swansea City boss Kenny Jackett following his death at the age of 64.

The former Wales international took charge of the Swans in 2004.

He led the club to promotion to League One and Football League Trophy success - and came within a penalty shootout of reaching the Championship - during his near three-year spell in charge.

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Swansea City's Eom Jisung made his World Cup debut in South Korea's 2-1 Group A victory over Czech Republic in Guadalajara.

The 23-year-old winger was a 69th minute substitute for Lee Tae-Seok, coming on two minutes after the Koreans had equalised in the second game of this summer's tournament.

Oh Hyeon-Gyu scored the winner in the 80th minute.

South Korea next face Mexico - who who won their opening match 2-0 against South Africa - in Guadalajara Stadium on Friday (02:00 BST).

Eom, who has made 88 appearances in two seasons at Swansea, is one of three players from the Welsh club at this summer's finals co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and USA.

Centre-back Cameron Burgess is included in the Australia squad who open their Group D campaign against Turkey on Sunday, 14 June (05:00 BST).

And midfielder Marko Stamenic is in line to play for New Zealand when they face Iran in Group G on Tuesday, 16 June (02:00 BST), having started the warm-up friendly defeat against England.

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Four members of Coventry City's title-winning side have been nominated for the Professional Footballers Association's Championship Players' Player of the Year award.

Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, captain Matt Grimes, midfielder Jack Rudoni and striker Haji Wright are all in the running to add another trophy to the Sky Blues' successful season.

Midfielder Grimes, 30, started all 46 of Coventry's league games as they finished 11 points clear at the top of the Championship while Wright, 28, scored 18 goals in all competitions and is part of the USA squad at the World Cup.

Rushworth, 24, spent the season on loan at Coventry from Brighton, keeping 17 clean sheets, while 24-year-old Rudoni scored seven goals, including late winners against Derby and Stoke.

Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney and Swansea striker Zan Vipotnik, who finished as the Championship's top scorer with 23 goals, have also been shortlisted for the award.

PFA members will vote for the winner who will be announced at a ceremony on Tuesday, 25 August.

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Joe Allen says he is taking a break from football after leaving Swansea City and admits his future could lie away from the game.

The central midfielder retired from professional football in May 2025 but was part of Vitor Matos' backroom staff after the Portuguese boss replaced Alan Sheehan as Swansea head coach in November.

However, after leaving his coaching role with the Swans, the former Wales international says he remains unsure what he will do next.

When asked about his future plans, Allen told BBC Sport Wales: "I don't have an answer, I'll take a break now to work it all out.

"I'm hoping something comes to me, whether that's in the next few weeks or few months, I'm not sure.

"I'm probably torn between staying in football – it's all I've known really – but then there's a part of me which fancies maybe starting something new."

Allen was part of the Swansea team that gained promotion to the Premier League under Brendan Rodgers in 2011.

Having been relegated from the top-flight in 2018, Swansea are currently preparing for a ninth successive season in the Championship.

But Allen feels the Swans - who finished 11th in the second tier last term - have shown encouraging signs under Matos as they look to secure a return to the Premier League.

"With the way the season ended, the signs are promising," added the 36-year-old.

"It's tough, when Swansea came down, the ambition was to get back up as soon as possible, it's not quite happened.

"But we had that incredible day 15 years ago and the message for the group now is you want to write your own history and have something similar, so we'll keep our fingers crossed and we hope the Swans can take that step."

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Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik has been included in BBC Sport's Championship team of the season.

The Slovenian scored a total of 25 goals in his second season with Swansea - of which 23 goals were scored in 43 league games.

The 24-year-old, who described his season as "magical", is expected to attract interest from other clubs this summer.

Two former Swansea City players were also recognised after helping their respective clubs secure promotion to the Premier League.

Coventry City midfielder Matt Grimes and striker Oli McBurnie of Hull City were named in the Championship team of the season in BBC Sport's first end-of-season football awards.

Voted for by our expert pundits, dedicated team of journalists, and specialist football programme makers, these awards celebrate the players who starred in the Premier League, Women's Super League, Scottish Premiership and EFL in 2025-26.

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Swansea City midfielder Ethan Galbraith has been included in Northern Ireland's squad for friendlies with Guinea and France next month - despite not playing since the friendly draw with Wales on 31 March.

The 24-year-old played 80 minutes in Cardiff, but returned to Swansea complaining of a calf issue and missed the final seven matches of the Championship campaign.

Until that point the midfielder or right-back had enjoyed a fine debut year in south Wales and, having seen Galbraith's season come to a premature end, Swansea boss Vitor Matos had hoped one of his outstanding performers would have a chance to rest this summer.

"I think it doesn't make sense for [Galbraith to play in] the international break, but I leave that for the medical team and the medical team of the national team as well," Matos said in April.

"I think it's the best regarding the situation of the injury, but then it's something that they need to speak about and everyone decides what's the best in that case."

With Northern Ireland - like Wales - missing out on this summer's World Cup finals, Michael O'Neill's side face Guinea in Spain on Saturday, 4 June and take on France in Lille the following Monday.

Matos will also be monitoring several other members of his squad on international duty over the coming weeks.

Defender Ben Cabango is the only Swans player in Wales selection for friendlies at the beginning of June against Ghana and Romania.

South Korea winger Eom Jisung and New Zealand's Mark Stamenic both face busy summers having been named in their countries' World Cup squads.

And they could also be joined at this summer's tournament by Australia centre-back Cameron Burgess and defender Ricardo Santos if he is called up by Cape Verde.

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Swansea City have been boosted by news that Melker Widell will be fit for pre-season despite suffering an ankle ligament injury in their final game of the 2025-26 campaign.

Sweden international Widell was on crutches after a heavy challenge from Conor Coventry forced him off during Swansea's win over Charlton Athletic on 2 May.

Though scans showed Widell suffered some ligament damage, Swansea expect him to be fully fit when Vitor Matos' squad begin preparations for the 2026-27 Championship season in early July.

Widell made 43 appearances last season, his first in English football, and became increasingly influential as the campaign wore on.

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Jonathan de Guzman, who scored two Wembley goals to help Swansea City win their one major trophy, is retiring from football at the age of 38.

Netherlands international De Guzman enjoyed two successful season-long loan spells at Swansea, in 2012-13 and 2013-14.

The midfielder played 93 times for Swansea, scoring 12 times, after being brought to Wales by Michael Laudrup.

His most famous goals came in Swansea's 5-0 League Cup final win over Bradford City in February 2013.

De Guzman also scored in the win at Liverpool during that cup run, and in Swansea's famous 3-0 Europa League triumph in Valencia the following season.

After leaving Swansea, he had spells in Italy, Germany and Greece before moving to Sparta Rotterdam, where he played his final Eredivisie game over the weekend.

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Swansea City have the second of what could be as many as four representatives at this summer's World Cup confirmed after Eom Jisung was named in the South Korea squad.

Winger Eom, 23, is part of a 26-man group which also includes the likes of former Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, Paris St-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae.

South Korea start their World Cup campaign against the Czech Republic on 12 June and then face co-hosts Mexico seven days later, before finishing Group A with a game against South Africa on 25 June.

Eom, who has made 88 appearances in two seasons at Swansea, will join club-mate Mark Stamenic at the World Cup after he was named in the New Zealand squad.

Swansea centre-back Cameron Burgess is expected to be included in the Australia squad, while there have been suggestions that fellow defender Ricardo Santos could be called up by Cape Verde despite the fact that he managed only one club appearance in 2025-26.

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Promising youngster Harlan Perry has signed a first professional contract at Swansea City.

Midfielder Perry, 18, joined Swansea at under-nine level and is now contracted until the summer of 2028.

The Wales Under-19s international was previously touted as a potential target for Manchester City and Manchester United.

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Kristian O'Leary reckons Swansea City can look ahead with optimism after the club's latest mid-table Championship finish.

Swansea ended the 2025-26 campaign in 11th after a significant upturn in form under Vitor Matos, who took charge amid relegation concerns last November.

It was a second successive 11th-place finish for the Welsh side, and their fifth in a row in mid-table since the 2021 play-off final loss to Brentford under Steve Cooper.

First-team coach O'Leary believes the club are well placed to progress heading into 2026-27.

"I think a lot of things have gone on over the last two or three years," the Swansea stalwart said.

"[There are] new owners who are very invested in the club - you could see that off the pitch last summer – and the manager has been brilliant.

"He's got charisma, he's got personality, which is something Swansea managers that have been successful have.

"He's got a way about him which is suited to the club, so I think we have to be optimistic."

Swansea were 20th in the table when Matos took over following the sacking of Alan Sheehan.

Relegation worries mounted after the Portuguese lost his first two games at the helm, but Swansea then found form – particularly on their own patch – to pull well clear of the bottom three.

They ended the campaign nine points adrift of sixth place and 17 clear of the drop zone.

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Swansea City midfielder Marko Stamenic will head to the World Cup next month after being named in New Zealand's squad for the tournament.

Stamenic, 24, is one of eight players who play club football in the English leagues included in the All Whites' 26-man party.

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood is the most well-known of those players, with Braintree Town defender Tommy Smith and Wrexham's Liberato Cacace among others who have received the call.

New Zealand, who have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 16 years, will face Belgium, Egypt and Iran in the group stage of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.

New Zealand will meet Haiti and England in warm-up friendlies in early June.

Stamenic impressed at Swansea in 2025-26, his first year at the club following a move from Forest.

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The recent successes of Swansea City goalkeepers suggests Martyn Margetson's successor may have a hard act to follow.

Margetson has said farewell to Swansea for a second time, ending a three-year spell as the Championship club's head of goalkeeping after a previous two-season stint in a similar role between 2019 and 2021.

Across Margetson's five campaigns at Swansea, their various frontline keepers have thrived.

During Margetson's first spell with the Swans, Freddie Woodman was first-choice keeper across his two season-long loans from Newcastle United.

Steve Cooper's Swansea reached the play-offs in each of those campaigns, with Woodman winning the Championship's golden glove award in 2020-21 thanks to 20 league clean sheets.

After Margetson departed alongside Cooper in 2021, first-team goalkeeping duties were shared between Steven Benda, Ben Hamer and Andy Fisher in 2021-22.

In the following campaign, Fisher played 27 games and Benda 23, before the return of Margetson as part of Michael Duff's new-look management team in 2023 coincided with the return of more stability in the Swansea goal.

Carl Rushworth arrived on a year-long loan from Brighton and cleaned up at Swansea's end-of-season awards the following spring.

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When Rushworth departed in 2024, Swansea turned to Lawrence Vigouroux – who then boss Luke Williams had worked with at Leyton Orient – and he has been one of their most consistent performers over the last two seasons.

In a farewell message posted on social media,, external Margetson said the decision to "step down" from his role was right for him and his family.

"There have been some special moments along the way," Margetson wrote.

"Seeing Freddie Woodman win the Championship golden glove was a huge achievement for him, his family and the club.

"Carl Rushworth's development into the club's player of the season was another proud moment for him, his family and the club.

"Lawrence Vigouroux has been excellent for the two seasons he's had so far at Swansea City and is now an established Chile international, something everybody at the club should be proud of."

Swansea are yet to announce who will succeed Margetson as their first-team goalkeeping coach.