Carlton Palmer has claimed that a loan to Swansea City could be a good move for Southampton striker Michael Obafemi next season.

Obafemi struggled for game time at St Mary's last season, and Hampshire Live have reported that the striker was set for a loan move to Swansea during the winter window, before injury prevented such a deal from happening.

The report also went on to suggest that the Swans could revisit their interest in Obafemi this summer, as they look to recover from their play-off final defeat to Brentford.

Now it seems as though Palmer believes that a year in the Championship at The Liberty Stadium, could be a smart move for Obafemi.

Speaking to This Is Futbol about the prospect of Obafemi joining Swansea on loan, Palmer - who made 52 appearances for Southampton between 1997 and 1999 - said: “It’s a smart move. You need to play, you need to play. Look at all the players Fergie let out to go and play. You need to just get out and play.

“The experience you get, the knowledge you learn, is only by playing football. So staying at a big club, sitting on the bench, being in the reserves, it’s not the same as playing in the first team.

“You’ve seen that with Tammy Abraham. Look how he came on when he went to Aston Villa. Now he’s stagnating again because he’s not getting a game for Chelsea.”

A graduate of Southampton's academy, Obafemi has made 38 appearances in all competitions for the Saints since his debut in 2018, scoring five goals in that time.

The Verdict

I do think that Palmer is right with what he is saying about Obafemi here.

At 20-years-old, the striker should be at a stage of his career where he is playing regular first-team football in order to aid his development.

That is something he may struggle to do at Southampton next season considering the options they have available, meaning a loan move elsewhere to get that game time does seem sensible.

With Swansea also in need of some attacking reinforcements following the departure of Andre Ayew this summer, it could be argued that the circumstances are right for this to become a rather productive move all round if it happens.