Swansea’s Williams expects Southampton Wood transfer interest

Saints had bid for Wood on a permanent basis last summer before getting deals over the line for Mason Holgate and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

The former England youth international has made 71 appearances in the Championship despite being just 22 years old, and is admired by Saints manager Russell Martin.

Swansea have a history of selling players every summer to continue to compete and Wood is likely their most valuable asset this year.

Williams, a former assistant of Martin at MK Dons, said: “He is still a Swansea player, but he is certainly a player we are expecting interest in.

Swansea City boss Luke Williams (Image: PA)

“With the contract situation and his mentality at the moment - not in any negative way, but he is very ambitious who knows there’s a lot of attention around him – I am still in the same place. 

“As head coaches, you can see the quality of a player on the pitch but unless you have worked with them, it’s very difficult to get a grasp of their personality.

“Unfortunately, Russell has worked with Nathan Wood and knows what a gem he is.

“I know there has been interest, then when we played Southampton, they talked about how much they liked him, which is normal.

“I guess that interest hasn’t vanished, so I would expect them to be at least one of the clubs who are interested in him now.”

Williams added: “Young players playing a lot of Championship football at a decent level will always attract attention from suitors.

“I can’t talk any more than that at the moment but it is fair to say that some players have attracted interest.”

Saints will likely be in the market for a defender if they do not keep Armel Bella-Kotchap, who is set to return from his loan at PSV.

Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens are entering the final year of their Saints contracts, while Harwood-Bellis is now a permanent signing following promotion.