Cooper reveals positive talks with Premier League bosses over loan players

Steve Cooper has revealed he has held positive discussions with Premier League managers over how Swansea City’s loan players have fared heading into the resumption of the 2019-20 season.

Of the six players currently on loan in SA1 – all of whom will remain with the club for the remainder of the campaign – five joined from parent clubs in the English top-flight.

Goalkeeper Freddie Woodman joined from Newcastle, Ben Wilmot from Watford, Rhian Brewster from Liverpool and Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi from Chelsea.

All have played their part in helping ensure the Swans head into this weekend’s restart fixture at Middlesbrough just three points off the Championship play-off places with nine games to go.

And Cooper believes his talks with the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Frank Lampard underline how pleased they are with how their young players are developing while in SA1.

“It has been very positive,” said the Swans head coach.

“We have committed to what we said we said we would do with the players.

“First and foremost, we looked for players we felt could help us, but part of that process is to help the players and their parent clubs as well.

“I spoke to Frank Lampard over lockdown, I spoke to Steve Bruce about Freddie. I spoke to Jurgen Klopp, I haven’t spoken to them for a while, but often around games we will send messages.

“We also send reports, clips and footages after every game, but that’s not anything we would not normally do.

“But it has been positive. They let us get on with it because they respect we have work to do, and we have things we want to achieve ourselves.

“Normally there is extra dialogue if things are not going well, so everything has been fairly positive.”

New rules allowing an additional two players in a matchday squad mean the Swans can now select all six of their loan players in their 20-man squad, although only five can be on the pitch at the same time.