Swansea City

Join Chris Wathan and BBC Sport Wales reporter Gareth Vincent as they review Swansea City's first eight games of the Championship season.

Listen on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

How are Grimsby Town and Swansea City linked through their recruitment and analysis?

In the newest episode of the 72+ podcast, Aaron Paul, Jobi McAnuff and Cambridge United boss Neil Harris find out in conversation with Grimsby CEO Polly Bancroft, who talks Jamestown Analytics, club growth, ambitions and what it's like to be one of the few female chief executives in the EFL.

That's after the panel are joined by Adam Blackmore, BBC Radio Solent's sports editor, to chat Spygate, the looming verdict over Tonda Eckert and how the club is feeling in this decisive week.

There's also discussion and debate on Championship table-toppers Swansea City and League One strugglers Peterborough United.

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Vitor Matos will keep fingers crossed until Swansea City's players are reunited having been left with a skeleton squad to work with during the international break.

The Championship leaders are without 13 first-team players due to national team call-ups during the elongated international window.

They also have three players – Josh Key, Ross Stewart and long-termer Cameron Burgess - in the treatment room, meaning Matos may have as few as nine senior players to work with at times during the break.

Goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, defenders Ben Cabango and Stephen Welsh, midfielders Stephen Eustaquio, Marko Stamenic, Eli Just and Eom Jisung and strikers Zan Vipotnik and Adam Idah have all been called up for senior international duty.

On top of that, Filip Lissah, Jeremy Monga, Tago Parente and Joseph Opoku are away for youth internationals.

"Three weeks without most of the players - that will of course give us a little bit time to think about consistency," said Swansea head coach Matos.

"It will not be easy having them away for so long."

Swansea, who have lost only one of their eight league games so far this season, return to Championship action when Norwich City visit south Wales on Saturday, 10 October.

While Key is expected to be out for a number of weeks, Swansea hope Scotland striker Stewart will return to training at some point during the international lay-off.

"We need to take care of the players who stay here, keep developing them," Matos added.

"Of course, working on dynamics is not as easy, but you can still refine a few aspects, you can still take care of the players.

"And then some players will only return on Thursday [before Norwich], which means then we have Friday and then we have a game on Saturday so not ideal, but you just have to put up with it. That's the truth."

Naz Premji
BBC Final Score

Image source, Getty Images

Vitor Matos has led Swansea City to the top of the Championship table in the first international break and there is a real sense that this could be the season the Welsh side could return to the top flight after nearly a decade away.

From their opening eight games in the league, they have five wins, two draws and just one defeat and they sit two points clear of favourites West Ham.

When you look at the Swansea team, there is a real mix of youth and experience and they look strong all over the pitch.

Last season's top scorer in the league, Zan Vipotnik, hasn't really got going, but it's not hindered the Swans' progress with others in the frontline getting the goals to fire them to early success.

Matos worked with Jurgen Klopp and you can see the hallmarks of that kind of style with a fast pressing team who are up and at their opponents from the get-go.

Make no mistake though, they can mix it up too as they showed at the weekend when they had to battle and come from behind at Lincoln City to seal their latest victory.

It's been a while since a Welsh side graced the top flight and maybe just maybe that could change this season if Matos and co can continue and build on their great start to the campaign.

Whatever happens, one thing is for sure - Swansea are going to be a great side to watch this season.

We asked for your views after Swansea City climbed back to the top of the Championship table thanks to Saturday's 2-1 victory at Lincoln City.

The Swans fell behind to a first-half Imps penalty, but goals early in the second half from Moussa Yeo and Joseph Opoku meant Vitor Matos' team secured a fifth win in eight league games this season.

Here are some of your opinions.

Michael: Ground out a win when you're not on form - the sign of a good side aiming for promotion.

Leighton: Hard-fought victory but did well to get all three points against an old Wimbledon-style team. Nobody will like going there. Give them credit they made it the scruffiest game of football I've seen in a while. Not to moan but the ref was awful - but he was awful for both teams. Keep it going Swans.

Geraint: Believe, keep going - things are looking up. Train hard, eat good and march on. Big three points in the bag on the road.

Stephen: Maybe teams will be less happy to let us have the ball now. Gritty win away, always welcome. Uppa Swans.

Michael: Outfought and outclassed Lincoln in the second half and deserved the win.

Swansea City's Vitor Matos reflects on his side's 2-1 win over Lincoln City, which leaves the club top of the Championship heading into the international break.

The latest news and views on the Swans in two minutes, every weekday afternoon.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Vitor Matos reckons Stephen Welsh deserves his first Scotland call-up based on his impressive start to life at Swansea City.

Welsh joined Swansea on a free transfer in the summer having been allowed to leave Celtic despite having a year to run on his contract with Scottish giants.

The centre-back arrived in Wales with the challenge of breaking into a Swansea side where Ben Cabango and Cameron Burgess were regulars at the heart of defence last season.

But after Burgess suffered a long-term Achilles injury in the opening game of 2026-27, Welsh has seized his chance in some style.

The 26-year-old has played in all seven of Swansea's league matches this season, with his fine form earning him a place in Sebastien Pocognoli's first Scotland squad.

"I think he's performing really, really well," said Swansea head coach Matos.

"He fits straight into the style and in the group as well.

"[I am] really happy for him, really happy that he can fulfil that goal or dream [by being called up by Scotland], and then wish him all the best on the time with the national team."

Image source, Getty Images

Welsh will hope to sign off before the international break on a positive note when Swansea take on Lincoln City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

He will then join up with Scotland for Nations League matches against Slovenia (home and away), North Macedonia and Switzerland.

Welsh made 70 senior appearances during his long spell at Celtic, joining Swansea having impressed while on loan at Motherwell last season.

Matos reckons there is more to come from the former Scotland Under-21 cap.

"[He is] really good offensively, like I said in the beginning when we signed him," he added.

"He's a player with right foot playing on the left side, but he coped so well with that.

"Of course, he knows that there's things we can always improve, but that's the culture, let's say, of the club where we are now."

After starting their return to the Championship with two successive defeats, Lincoln City take a five-game unbeaten run into their home meeting with Swansea City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Imps have also kept four clean sheets in those five matches but Swansea did put three past struggling Burnley last weekend.

• This will be the first league meeting between Lincoln City and Swansea City since April 2005, when the Imps won 1-0 in League Two.

• Swansea have lost 10 of their past 12 away league games at Lincoln City (W1 D1), including all four in the 21st Century.

• Lincoln City have won each of their past two league games, both 1-0 against Preston and Bristol City; the last newly promoted side to win three successive Championship games without conceding was Hull City in January 2022.

• Although Swansea have only lost one of their past 10 league matches (W6 D3), that was their last away game, a 1-3 defeat at Southampton.

• Swansea lead the Championship this season in high turnovers (65) and shot ending high turnovers (14), while only Norwich (103) have recorded more pressed sequences than the Swans (102).

Image source, Getty Images

Eom Jisung netted a first-half hat-trick as South Korea's Under-23s cruised to a 4-1 win over Qatar U23s at the Asian Games in Japan.

The Swansea City winger, 24, recently featured for his country at the World Cup but qualifies to represent the youth side having been selected as an over-age player.

Eom made a sublime impact in Nagoya as he scored three goals to ensure the defending champions kick-started their campaign with victory.

South Korea return to action against Saudi Arabia on 22 September (11:00 BST).

Eom's international efforts come after he netted two goals and registered a pair of assists across Swansea's opening six league games of the campaign.

He was absent from the squad for Saturday's 3-1 triumph over Burnley at the Swansea.com Stadium due to his involvement at the Asian Games.

Image source, Getty Images

Vitor Matos reckons Melker Widell's moment will soon come as the Sweden international chases a first Swansea City goal.

Widell produced a man-of-the-match performance as Swansea continued their impressive start to the season by beating Burnley 3-1 last weekend.

It was the latest in a line of bright displays from the 24-year-old, who has developed into a key player in Matos' squad having initially found opportunities hard to come by after moving to Wales in 2025.

Widell has operated as a central midfielder, a wide player and even a false nine across 51 Swansea appearances.

He has offered something in every position thanks to his blend of energy and technical quality.

The only thing missing for the former Malmo youngster is a maiden goal – but Matos is expecting that box to be ticked.

"He's a hard worker, his intensity is insane," the Swansea head coach said.

"He has versatility as well - I think he played in three positions since I've been here. In all of those positions he can put in a proper performance.

"He's maybe more desperate than the fans for the goal, but that will come for sure."

Widell started on the left flank against Burnley in the absence of Eom Jisung, with Matos picking him ahead of natural wide players Joseph Opoku, Ronald and Jeremy Monga.

Given his performance against the Clarets, Widell may be deployed out wide again when Swansea go to Lincoln City on Saturday.

Gareth Vincent
BBC Sport Wales

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

If goals per league start is the best way of judging a striker's impact, then few could better Adam Idah's numbers in a Swansea City shirt.

The primary frustration for Idah after just over a year as a Swansea player will be that there have not been more league starts.

Idah began a Championship fixture for only the 11th time since swapping Celtic for south Wales as Swansea beat Burnley over the weekend.

The Republic of Ireland striker's early goal was his 10th in the league in Swansea colours.

It should be said that Idah has also made 21 Championship substitute appearances – and played three times in the EFL Cup – for the Welsh club.

But even with those games factored in, Idah's record is impressive.

Idah's first season at Swansea was badly disrupted by a serious hamstring injury and, even when he was fit, the form of Zan Vipotnik forced him to play a secondary role.

Even so, he finished 2026-27 averaging a goal every 138 minutes on the pitch, a record which was only bettered in the division by Championship leading scorer Vipotnik (one goal every 128 minutes).

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

The tables have turned in the early stages of this season, with Idah starting five of Swansea's seven league matches up front and Vipotnik beginning only two.

Idah has three league goals at a rate of one per 122 minutes of league playing time, while Vipotnik has two (one every 133 minutes on the pitch).

Idah rightly has the shirt in Swansea's attack right now, and will expect to lead the line again when they play their final game before the season's first international break at Lincoln City this Saturday.

The chances are that Vipotnik will replace Idah at some point in the second half at Sincil Bank, with Vitor Matos hoping both forwards will continue to fire.

"I like a lot both players," said the Swansea head coach.

"Both offer different things, both are working hard for the team.

"Then it's about professionalism, understanding each other and understanding that if all of them - not only the strikers, but midfielders as well - are committed with one idea, for sure good things will come."

We asked for your opinions after Swansea City's win over Burnley continued their eye-catching start to the new Championship season.

Having seen his side bounce back from defeat at Southampton - their first of the league campaign - with a 3-1 home victory, boss Vitor Matos said Swansea have shown are capable of competing with every side in the division.

Here are some of your views following the result that moved Swansea back into second in the table.

Rob: Great win! Encouraging display, hopefully we are still going to improve. Good work Vitor Matos!

Kel: At least the Swans got back on track after being beaten by Southampton.

Alun: Got there - just! Hardly a comfortable win - the ref didn't help, worst we've seen for ages! Can't understand why we don't defend wide and fail to have our 'centre-forward' (old fashioned I know) in the six-yard area more often. [Jamie] Vardy came on almost scored from inside the box. Might learn from that?

Roy: We will definitely be in the play-offs with this team. Up the Jacks!