The Championship returns this weekend after League One and League Two kicked off the EFL season, and Swansea City will be raring to go.
Luka Modric is now on the board in South Wales, while Snoop Dogg has also invested in the Swans during a summer of change.
On the pitch, Alan Sheehan has been making all the right signings as he looks to take his team towards the top six after a late push for the play-offs was unsuccessful in 2024/25.
Nevertheless, there is one young midfielder who does not look as though he is going to make the switch to Swansea this summer, despite a strong year for Liverpool.
Swansea City cool interest in James McConnell
James McConnell has started to come through the ranks at Anfield in the last couple of years, with Jurgen Klopp handing him his Premier League debut in the 2023/24 campaign – playing three times.
James McConnell of Liverpool in action during the PL2 game at AXA Training Centre
Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Swansea had shown an interest in the midfielder earlier this summer, but injury issues have plagued the 20-year-old’s pre-season and he missed out on going to Asia with the Premier League champions, with the Swans moving away from the youngster as a main target, as per Wales Online.
Sheehan has already brought in Ethan Galbraith to help fill the midfield, but competition will be high as they prepare for their long trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Nevertheless, with just under a month left in the transfer window, there is still an opportunity for McConnell to get a move to the Swansea.com Stadium if he can regain some fitness.
James McConnell is liked by Arne Slot at Liverpool
The 20-year-old made his bow in the Champions League against PSV last season, playing the full 90 minutes against PSV Eindhoven in a 3-2 defeat in the Netherlands.
He played well in a team that was very much weakened as Liverpool rested key players having already qualified for the last 16, and Arne Slot was extremely pleased with his performance.
Manager Arne Slot of Liverpool FC looks on prior to the MEIJI YASUDA J.LEAGUE World Challenge 2025
Photo by Kenta Harada/Getty Images
He said of him in January ahead of a potential loan move away (via: Daily Mirror): “There’s definitely one that will not go out on loan: James McConnell. I liked him a lot today. Maybe the end result today would be good for him to go and play (elsewhere) but he is a player who hasn’t played a lot in the last six or seven months as he was injured for a while. He impressed me a lot today.
“He is competitive in the training sessions we had, he is always very competitive. I’m not surprised (by how he played), but you always wonder how you will react at this level.”