Kaelan Casey | This is a challenge I am excited by

Kaelan Casey is eager to make the most of his opportunity with Swansea City, having been given a glowing reference on the club by Graham Potter.

The 20-year-old defender has joined the Swans on a season-long loan from West Ham United, and could make his debut at Middlesbrough this weekend.

The England Under-20 international has picked up game time in European competition – he has a European Conference League winners’ medal – and the Premier League with the Hammers.

Casey also has an FA Youth Cup medal to his name, scoring in West Ham’s 5-1 final thumping of Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in 2023.

Now he wants to get more senior game time under his belt and prove himself at Championship level, after enjoying positive first impressions of his time in south Wales.

“There’s been a lot of travelling to get here and get the move done, but I am excited to be here and ready to go,” he said.

“I am really looking forward to the challenge, the standard of training and the squad is really high.

“This is going to be a test for me, I hope I can play as many games as possible to improve myself, and to help the team as much as I can.

“West Ham is all I have known, I have been there since I was five, so to be in a new environment and having a new challenge is going to be good for me.

“I have played in Europe, I’ve played in the Premier League, and I am really proud of that. I’ve had some big experiences, but I want more of that with Swansea.”

At West Ham, Casey is currently working under Potter and assistant Billy Reid, who were at the Swans during the 2018-19 season.

And he revealed how speaking to them about their time at Swansea underlined to him that SA1 was the place for him.

“I spoke to Graham and Billy, they said they really enjoyed their time here. They said the facilities were great and that it is like a family.

“And when I spoke to the gaffer here, it was really positive, I cannot wait to play in front of the fans and get going.”