Jonathan de Guzman eyes permanent move to Swansea

De Guzman scored twice against Stoke at the weekend

Andrew Gwilym
Monday 21 January 2013 11:17 GMT
Comments
Jonathan de Guzman wants to stay with Swansea next season
Jonathan de Guzman wants to stay with Swansea next season (PA)

Jonathan de Guzman hopes he will be able to seal a permanent move to Swansea after starring in the weekend win over Stoke.

The 25-year-old has impressed since joining Swansea on a season-long loan from Villarreal, and he was again on form as he netted a superb second-half double in the 3-1 win over the Potters.

The Dutchman first beat Asmir Begovic with a stunning free-kick, before coolly adding his second from Danny Graham's pass.

De Guzman's guile and vision has added an extra dimension to Swansea's play, and he hopes a deal can be agreed before his loan spell runs out.

"If there is an opportunity I would really love to stay," he said.

"I am very happy here. It's a great group, not just the players but the guys around the place, the staff and the fans.

"It's a family club and I really like that. There is something good happening here and I like being part of it."

De Guzman's form has started to attract the attentions of the Dutch national coach Louis van Gaal, and his assistant Danny Blind was at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.

De Guzman has been previously capped at under-21 level and would like the chance to make his bow for the senior side.

He said: "Yes, I was aware he (Blind) was there - that's why I scored the two goals!

"They are keeping an eye on a couple of the Dutch players here and I think I had a decent game. I am very happy with how it went, so we'll see."

De Guzman is also confident Swansea will not crumble under the weight of expectation as they look to seal a first major Wembley final appearance against Chelsea.

The Swans head into Wednesday's second leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final with a 2-0 advantage after a stunning smash and grab raid at Stamford Bridge.

Swansea have lost just twice at home this term and their two Premier League meetings against Chelsea at the Liberty Stadium have ended in 1-1 draws.

A repeat on Wednesday would see Swansea advance, but De Guzman insists holding a handy advantage does not increase the pressure on the hosts.

"There is pressure every game, every training session," he said. "This group is desperate to do well and you can feel that.

"Everyone is working very hard. It is a great achievement so far but the season has a long way to go.

"We certainly respect Chelsea but there isn't any fear.

"We are home and we are 2-0 up, playing at home, which is probably where we play our best football, so we have to keep the momentum. I think we have a very good chance."

PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in