Carlos Carvalhal has refused to confirm Roque Mesa is leaving Swansea City, but has again insisted the club can stay up even if new players are not brought in.
The Swansea City manager had little to say on Mesa’s impending exit on Monday afternoon, even after footage emerged of the Spanish midfielder arriving back in his homeland ahead of an expected loan move to Sevilla.
Carvalhal also gave little away regarding players coming in to the club as moves for Atletico Madrid’s Nicolas Gaitan and West Ham’s Andre Ayew appear to be floundering.
The Portuguese boss said: “We are still fighting for players. I’m not concerned that no new players have signed so far. My focus is on helping the team to prepare for games, which I have done since arriving in Swansea and will continue to do so.
“We will continue to fight for players until the end of the transfer window, but I don’t know what will happen.
“As a manager, I try to choose the best 11 players to win the game. I’m very pleased with my team, but I’m still looking to fill the gaps.
“We need players to try and improve the team. If we don’t get players I do believe we can stay in the Premier League.”
Asked about Mesa – the £11m signing from Las Palmas last summer – Carvalhal said: “I don’t know (whether he is leaving).
“It is not official so I can only talk about official things. I know it is your job to ask. It is official he is not here, but it is not official that he is leaving.”
Swansea have also been linked with Liverpool’s Serbian striker Lazar Markovic, although at present the club are yet to make a single signing in this transfer window.
Asked whether the club can avoid relegation if no new faces arrive over the final two days of the window, Carvalhal added: “It is a dangerous question.
“I have been asked before and I said I believed we could stay in the Premier League without new signings and fans think I am saying I don’t need players.
“We need players to try and improve the team, but if we don’t get players I do believe we can stay up.
“It is not the case that I don’t think we need players or want players. I want to make this very clear as they are very different things. I want players, but if I don’t get players I still believe we will stay up.
“It will be harder but let’s see. We have not brought in any players but we have lost just once in seven games and against good teams.”
The Swans welcome Arsenal to the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night and will look to build on their unexpected victory over Liverpool, which has breathed new life into their campaign and tightened things at the bottom of the table.
Arsenal will be without Alexis Sanchez for the first time since his move to Manchester United but are likely to give a debut to Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Carvalhal added: “If a big club struggled after losing an important player, there would be something wrong with the club.
“It is different for a smaller club when they lost an important player. I don’t think Arsenal are weak, but they have a different dynamic.
“They have brought in a fantstic player already and they are not weak. They might be different and we must be ready for that.”
