Steve Cooper | Conor can give us new midfield element

Steve Cooper believes new signing Conor Gallagher can add a different element to Swansea City’s midfield.

Gallagher completed his loan move to the Liberty today, with the Chelsea midfielder set to spend the rest of the season in SA1.

He became the Swans’ third loan signing of the January transfer window, following in the footsteps of Stamford Bridge team-mate Marc Guehi and Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster.

His arrival adds competition for places, and Cooper is confident Gallagher can fill a niche in his midfield.

“He is a different profile of midfield player to what we’ve got already,” said Cooper.

“He is a very energetic player who looks to get forward and is a goal threat. He is a player who can make a difference in games.

“Conor likes to get forward, so he probably lends himself to getting up the pitch, but he’s certainly a player who can get the ball from the back four and start attacks.

“He’s a real runner too. He can run for 90 plus minutes at the same intensity.

“We do a lot of data work on distances covered and Conor is right up there for his position.

“We want to play with intensity, and his arrival gives us an improvement in that area.

“He gets into the box and can create and score goals. He is a player who likes to get forward and can do that for the duration of the game because he has the energy to do that.

“And when he gets into those areas, he has the quality to make the most of his opportunities.”

Cooper knows all too well what quality Gallagher possesses, having been his manager during England Under-17s’ World Cup success in 2017.

The 19-year-old has also played twice against the Swans this season during his loan spell at Charlton, where he scored six goals and claimed two assists in his 26 appearances.

Cooper added: “I’m delighted he’s here. He was keen to come down as soon as Chelsea recalled him and made him available for loan again.

“I saw him play a lot for Chelsea over the years during my time with the FA.

“I spent a lot of time watching Chelsea over the years so I know he’s come from a good stock of players who were in the right culture and have the same values, which is what we are trying to do here.

“It’s also important to say that, just like Marc and Rhian, Conor has the right character to join our group. He is a very committed lad, down to earth and loves his football.

“He’ll quickly settle in with the lads and become part of the team. That’s the type of character and personality we want here.

“Conor has caught the eye this season. The fact he’s going to be wearing a Swans shirt and doing his bit for us is great for everyone at the club.”