The lowdown on Barnsley’s Michael Duff and the fundamental change he’d make to Swansea City

Michael Duff has become the latest name to emerge on Swansea City’s radar, as their search for a successor to Southampton-bound Russell Martin continues.

It’s been over three weeks since news of Martin’s apparently impending move to St Mary’s first emerged, but ‘glacial’ seems too generous a term to describe the pace of his exit from south Wales.

It’s left Swansea in an agonising state of limbo, although the search for a successor has, nevertheless, already begun.

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Chris Davies, a student of Brendan Rodgers, was seemingly the club’s preferred choice, but the bright lights of north London and the chance to work under Australian upstart Ange Postecoglou was clearly seen as a more attractive brief than taking the hot-seat at SA1.

It’s a development that’s seemingly paved the way for interest in Barnsley boss Duff, although there’s no indication Swansea have made a formal approach at this stage.

Whoever comes in will have a fairly meaty in-tray come their first day. The squad was in desperate need of strengthening even before the departures of free agents Joel Latibeaudiere and Ryan Manning. Star striker Joel Piroe is likely to leave should an acceptable offer come in, while there’s every chance Martin will look to pinch a player or two for his project at Southampton when his own move there is finally rubber-stamped.

Transfer funds are likely to be tight once more, despite the arrival of new investment, which in turn has triggered a boardroom shuffle, with many of the details left out of official club communications.