No bids for Graham yet, says Laudrup

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup says his club are yet to receive an official bid for Danny Graham.

The striker has struggled for first-team appearances this season thanks to the prolific form of summer signing Michu, although he has featured, and scored, in Swansea’s past four games.

It is understood that Sunderland are in talks to sign the striker for 4.5 million pounds – with Newcastle United, Norwich City and Reading also challenging for Graham’s signature – but Laudrup has denied those reports, although he did not rule out a sale before the end of the transfer window.

“We have not had an official offer from a club for us to say yes or no to. We have not got that,” Laudrup said.

“Danny is a good player, he is scoring goals now and we are in the transfer window.

“My experience from when I was in Spain is there are a lot of talks and rumours in the first three-and-a-half weeks (of the window) and a few things get done,
000012A7
but then in the last few days or even in the final 10 hours, everything goes nuts.

“It is like a final sale at the shops so I think it will be the same here, a lot of rumours and talks and then things will get done in the final four or five days.”

The 48-year-old did, however, reveal that he is keen to reduce the size of his squad – adding that limited numbers affords a player more first-team exposure and, in turn, a greater sense of achievement for the footballer.

“I don’t like to have too many players. You have to find a balance but I like as few as possible so everyone feels important,” he said.

“Some of the players are not happy because they are not even in the squad, they are not travelling with us to Everton.

“They work hard every day, they are professional, but then their names are not on the team list even when we play seven games in three weeks, which means our squad is too big and has to be less.”