What Swansea City's dream January transfer window looks like

Swansea City's January transfer window got up and running last week with the capture of veteran right-back Joel Ward, but the club are still hoping to do a bit more business before the next month's deadline.

CEO Tom Gorringe had preceded the new year by stressing that this window, which has come on the back of a very busy summer, was likely to be relatively quiet.

However, Swansea are hopeful of doing a bit more business over the coming weeks.

A winger is certainly high on the agenda, with Crystal Palace's Jesurun Rak-Sakyi near the top of their list of targets.

Rak-Sakyi has returned to the Eagles after his loan at Turkish side Caykur Rizespor was ended early, and the expectation is he will soon be shipped out again.

Swansea are very keen, but as boss Vitor Matos pointed out recently, they are by no means the only side showing an interest in the 23-year-old.

Several other Championship sides are understood to be keeping tabs on his situation, but landing him would clearly be a big boost to the Swans, who are eager to provide more competition in the wide areas heading into the second half of the season.

Some will make the case that a striker should also be firmly in the thinking this month in light of Adam Idah's hamstring injury, which looks set to rule him out for the next three months.

Matos has already suggested that he will likely look inwards for a solution, but an added option would surely be roundly welcomed at this stage, although that's far easier said than done in the January window.

Idah's injury likely means Zan Vipotnik will be staying put this month, despite being watched by several clubs in recent weeks, including West Ham United.

Similarly, and despite also being on the radar of Premier League sides, Ethan Galbraith is expected to stay with the Swans.

Keeping those two on board would represent a big boost, but there is certainly a case for letting a few players go.

Ricardo Santos is understood to be on the brink of a permanent move to Reading, which given his struggles for game time feels like good business.

Santos has played just one competitive game for the Swans, and his move to south Wales hasn't quite worked out.

The same could perhaps be said for Burnley loanee Manuel Benson, whose immediate future appears to be uncertain.

Matos recently confirmed that all parties would be sitting down to discuss what might come next, although it's not clear if those talks have yet taken place.

Clearly there is a case for ending his spell early, particularly if his loan slot can be filled by someone else (Rak-Sakyi for example).

If there's a chance to upgrade on a better option in the loan market, it will surely be seen as good business.

As for the other loanees, there's probably a case for keeping all them.

West Ham United are understood to be considering a recall for centre-back Kaelan Casey, which would clearly be a blow should Santos depart, and would leave the Swans potentially short of options at the heart of defence.

After a mixed start, Malick Yalcouye has started to show he could have an important role in this team with some really encouraging performances, while Ishe Samuels-Smith has similarly looked accomplished when called upon. Whether the latter's groin injury will have an impact on his future remains to be seen, but keeping him on board would ensure some valuable competition for Josh Tymon at left-back.

As for loans away, clearly there's a decision to be made on Ollie Cooper following his early return from Wigan Athletic.

Despite being named on the bench for the last two matchday squads, he is yet to make an appearance under Matos.

The Swans boss has insisted that Ward's arrival won't block the pathway for Sam Parker, but given the youngster's struggles for game time, there's surely a good case for a loan move away to help continue his development.