Graham Potter has been talking about Ryan Woods, the player he missed out on in the summer, ahead of the match against Stoke City.

Woods ended up signing for the Potters instead of the Swans, but Potter was reluctant to say too much about the move when quizzed by Wales Online ahead of this evenings game. When asked for his reflections on the player, he replied;

"My reflections are that to comment on players who are not with us is not something I like to do, but what I would say is that you are not going to get every player you want to get in any transfer window. That is just the reality of it, whoever you are."

He went on to try to dodge the question even further, paying Woods a compliment but throwing in a few other Stoke City players too, to underline that their threat comes from many sources.

"I understood the process and I understood where we are at throughout the whole window. The player is a good player, he is a good player in this league just like Joe Allen is, just like Benik Afobe, Ryan Shawcross and Tom Ince are. They have a fair few of them."

Swansea had a bid rejected for Woods before Stoke upped the offer and secured his services. The valuation was thought to be around £7m, a figure Swansea didn't seem willing to match.

Swansea go into this evening's game in 6th position, whilst Gary Rowett's side are struggling in 20th.

The Verdict

With the intensity of the transfer market these days, clubs are always going to end up missing out on players and facing them at a later date. Potter is a manager who avoids controversy as much as possible and his reticent answers on the subject demonstrate he is a manager with class and respect.

Ryan Woods is a great footballer, but Swansea clearly have a few of their own or they wouldn't be fourteen places above their rivals already.