Championship side Swansea City are closing in on the signing of Fulham full-back Cyrus Christie, according to talkSPORT's Alex Crook.

The 29-year-old has made just one senior appearance for the Cottagers this term despite being fully fit, operating on the right against Leeds United in the Carabao Cup back in that late September tie.

Despite playing a full 120 minutes against Marcelo Bielsa's men though, he has failed to appear in a single matchday squad in the Championship for Marco Silva's men this term, with Denis Odoi being preferred as Kenny Tete's understudy whilst the latter was suffering from a hamstring injury earlier in the campaign.

 

 

For a man that made 44 league appearances for Nottingham Forest last term, helping the East Midlands outfit to concede at a rate of less than a goal per game in the second tier, he will be disappointed with his lack of game time at Craven Cottage after such a fruitful loan spell.

In an interview with the Evening Standard last month, even the Republic of Ireland international admitted his time in the English capital was up after failing to force his way back into the Cottagers' first-team plans.

Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City were both reported by Sky Sports (31/12/21; 5:19pm) to be in the race for the 29-year-old's signature after seeing the full-back frozen out of the promotion chaser's squad.

But it's the latter's Welsh rivals who now look set to seal the deal for the Irishman after losing Ethan Laird to AFC Bournemouth earlier this month.

The Verdict:

With his contract running out at the end of the season and the Cottagers perhaps wanting to get him off the wage bill to make room for other signings, it would be a bit of a surprise if this move wasn't a permanent one.

After making several big sales in recent years, they would certainly have the leeway and finances to make this deal a longer-term investment and considering he isn't even in the first-team picture at Craven Cottage, this should be a cheap agreement.

The Swans may have been gutted to lose Laird, especially manager Russell Martin who knew him inside out after his time with MK Dons last term, but this could end up being an even better signing for the Swans, certainly in terms of Christie's defensive attributes.

Martin will need to ease the Irishman in gently though - because it has been months since he was last in senior, competitive action - and rushing him now may prove to be costly in terms of a potential injury.

Nonetheless, this is another shrewd move from the second-tier side's recruitment team and a permanent transfer at this stage would be for the benefit of all parties, especially the full-back who may now have a chance to settle down elsewhere.