Iwan Roberts Criticizes Swansea City’s Contract Management for Ben Cabango and Harry Darling

Iwan Roberts has asserted that Swansea City demonstrated a lack of foresight by not securing the long-term contracts of Ben Cabango and Harry Darling at the Championship club. Swansea is currently endeavoring to convince the two central defenders to sign new agreements, as their existing deals are set to expire at the conclusion of the season. Head coach Luke Williams commented last week that “the ball is in Cabango’s court” following a club presentation designed to persuade him to remain, with a similar discussion scheduled for Darling. Roberts, a former Wales striker, indicated that the duo could not be blamed for delaying their decisions to explore their options in January – when they will be free to engage with clubs outside the English league – or when they become free agents at the end of the season. “The only thing – and it is a gamble when you are down to your last few months – is if you pick up a bad injury between now and the end of the season, that really throws a spanner in the works,” Roberts told this week’s Feast of Football podcast. “But if I’m those two now, if there haven’t been real negotiations until now, I’m thinking I’m going to wait, I am going to see what options I’ve got in January.” He added, “You can speak to clubs abroad in January, you have the right to, but they will be speaking to clubs in this country as well.” Swansea has previously witnessed players such as Ryan Manning and Joel Latibeaudiere depart in recent memory after their contracts were allowed to run down. Roberts expressed apprehension that the Championship club’s current efforts to secure Cabango and Darling might prove to be “too little, too late.” “I think it’s really naïve of the football club to let them get into this situation,” he further stated. He questioned, “Surely you would have been sitting down with them both last summer, not now?”