The January transfer window could define Swansea City's fortunes for the remainder of the campaign.
Having not played since losing 4-1 to Nottingham Forest on December 11, Swansea currently occupy 17th spot in the Championship table.
They do of course boast several games in hand over most of the teams around them following the postponements of the fixtures with Queens Park Rangers, Millwall, Luton Town and Fulham, although it is clear to see improvements need to be made in certain areas.
Russell Martin will name a much-changed side for the visit of Southampton in the FA Cup third round this weekend but with regards to his side's shape, it doesn't appear as though drastic alterations will be made.
Ethan Laird is poised to join Bournemouth on loan from Manchester United in a decision which led to Swansea recalling Kyle Joseph from Cheltenham Town.
Joseph scored four goals in 22 appearances in all competitions for the Robins, and his versatility could be a real plus for Swansea.
It wasn't all plain sailing for the former Wigan Athletic man at The Jonny-Rocks Stadium, although the experience was no doubt significantly beneficial.
"I went five or six games where I didn't really score, I wasn't getting many chances, but I just had to keep at it," he said in October.
Joseph is not eligible to feature in Saturday's cup clash with Southampton, although there is every chance he could operate in the right wing-back slot vacated by Laird over the course of the coming months.
Joseph impressed when playing in that position for the Swans against Reading and Plymouth Argyle in the Carabao Cup before being sent to League One on loan, although most of his football for Cheltenham came in a forward role.
But, given Swansea have operated with a back three throughout the season so far - which was also predominantly the case for MK Dons under Martin during the duration of the 2020/21 season - it seems unlikely that the head coach will deviate from his preferred 3-4-2-1 shape in the Championship.
Following Swansea's decision to recall Joseph, Jon Palmer from WalesOnline's sister title GloucesterLive gave us the full insight on the 20-year-old's efforts at Cheltenham. Here's what he had to say:
How did Joseph fare at Cheltenham?
Jon Palmer: He leaves having made a positive impression during what has been a successful first half of the season for newly-promoted Cheltenham Town. Joseph scored on his debut in a 1-1 draw against MK Dons, netted a brace in the 3-1 win over Morecambe and then hit the winner against Shrewsbury Town, with all of his goals coming at home. Popular with the fans and showed a great attitude as well as plenty of quality during his half-season at the Jonny-Rocks Stadium.
Which position(s) did he play?
JP: Mainly up front with one other striker, but he also played wide in a front three and started once at right wing-back, where he performed admirably covering for the injured Matty Blair away to Gillingham, where the Robins claimed only their second away win of the campaign.
What were Joseph's strengths and weaknesses?
JP: Surprisingly strong in the air and an extremely hard-working player, who always appeared to give his all for the cause, running his socks off. Fairly quick too.
He could have scored a few more goals, but four in 12 League One starts is not a bad ratio.
The end of his loan coincided with a tough run of results for Cheltenham, who like so many other teams were hit by Covid in the camp.
But he signed off with another big effort in the 1-1 draw at Oxford United on New Year's Day, starting up front with Alfie May.
What did Michael Duff think of Joseph?
JP: Michael Duff always said he felt it was a coup to sign Joseph after he'd done so well in League One for Wigan last season. He didn't want to lose him this month, but said it was out of his control.
Duff said on Thursday morning: "Kyle Joseph we didn’t want to leave, but Swansea have called him back. As always, there are lists for every position.
"We didn’t expect the Kyle Joseph one, which came really late in the day, but luckily we managed to get ahead of the curve and we’ve already got someone in.
"Kyle suffered a little bit in the last month because we were having to chop and change a bit based on personnel as much as anything.
"But he is a very good player and an unbelievable kid, with a great attitude. He’ll definitely go on to have a good career so we definitely wish him all the best."
Do you think he is ready to step up back to the Championship with Swansea?
JP: Based on previous young loanees who have returned to their parent clubs and earned a chance, I would say Joseph compares favourably.
He still has work to do and improvements to make, but based on what he showed at Cheltenham, particularly in the first couple of months when they were creating chances and winning more games, he has a decent chance of making an impact at Swansea now and I'd definitely back him to have a bright future in the game.
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