Luke Williams insists new signing Lewis O’Brien can help fill the Matt Grimes-sized hole in Swansea City’s midfield. Swans head coach Williams had talked enthusiastically about bringing in a raft of players at the start of the January transfer window.

Omer Riza believes new loan signing Will Alves can fill a missing piece in his team’s armoury. The Bluebirds completed a busy transfer window by securing the loan signing of Leicester City forward Alves until the end of the season.

Swansea City are working to finalise loan deals for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis O’Brien and Manchester City prospect Jacob Wright ahead of Monday night’s transfer deadline. O’Brien has reportedly agreed personal terms with the Swans, who appear to have overcome interest from Preston North End, Luton Town, and Derby County.

Omer Riza is hoping the return of Aaron Ramsey can offer a chink of light for Cardiff City after a dark weekend left the manager needing to apologise to fans. Amid the gloom of a 7-0 thrashing at Leeds United – which required a humbling “sorry about that” to travelling Bluebirds supporters – was the boost of Ramsey playing 45 minutes for Cardiff’s Under-21s in a 3-2 victory over Everton in the Premier League Cup.

Blue Monday is supposedly the saddest day of the year, but not if you are a Swansea City fan. For them it’s not just the third Monday each January – when Christmas bills hit the doormat and the weather is still grim – that brings on the gloom.

Swansea City captain Matt Grimes is reportedly due to have a medical at Coventry City on Thursday, with a view to completing a move suggested to be worth £3m to £4m. The switch will be a huge blow to Swans supporters and further evidence the January transfer window is like kryptonite to the club every year – draining their strength and self-belief.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson accused his team of lacking “fight and determination” in their 3-2 defeat at home to Stevenage. The hosts had gone 22 matches unbeaten on their own turf before this encounter, with their previous loss dating back to March against Tranmere.

Cardiff City boss Omer Riza believes new loan signing Sivert Mannsverk will provoke a rise in standards among his squad. Norwegian midfielder Mannsverk, 22, has become Cardiff’s second capture of the January transfer window after moving from Ajax. The move is a chance for the Norway U21 international to gain some much-needed game time after an injury-plagued first half of the season.

Luke Williams has claimed Swansea City’s fans are starting to feel sick of the sight of him. The Swans head coach cut a dejected figure after his side’s disastrous 5-1 defeat at Norwich City, a result that extended their miserable run of form and left their travelling supporters deeply frustrated.

Cardiff City manager Omer Riza called the result “exactly what we needed” and praised Callum Robinson after the Bluebirds secured a vital 2-1 victory against fellow Championship relegation battlers Derby County. The result sees Cardiff move up to 18th, four points clear of the relegation zone, now occupied by Derby. And Riza acknowledged how vital the result was to his side. “This was a really important game,” Riza said.

Cardiff City will look to Yousef Salech to help drag the club further away from the relegation zone this weekend. The striker scored a last minute equaliser on his debut in midweek – a goal that not only rescued a point for the Bluebirds, but suggested there will be more to come.

The Football Association of Wales have expressed their “disappointment” at the decision of the English FA to crush plans that Welsh clubs could find a route into Europe through a new Welsh cup competition. Hopes of Welsh Football League clubs to get into Europe were dashed, after the FA blocked attempts to allow clubs playing in the EFL to participate in the Welsh League Cup.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson admitted he was left frustrated by his team’s inability to eat into Birmingham City’s five-point lead over the Dragons at the top of League One. Parkinson watched his team go 1-0 up at home to the leaders, but Birmingham struck back to claim a 1-1 draw, which leaves Wrexham back in third place in the table.

Aaron Ramsey turned up for training at Cardiff City for the first time in four months this week as he pushes to get back into action after a lengthy hamstring injury. The Wales skipper has been plagued by injury since returning to his home town club in the summer of 2023 and has only managed four appearances this season.

Cardiff City manager Omer Riza has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association after being sent off against derby rivals Swansea City. Riza was shown a red card in the final moments of Cardiff’s 3-0 Sky Bet Championship win on Saturday after tangling with Swansea midfielder Goncalo Franco on the touchline and encroaching on to the pitch.

Cardiff City manager Omer Riza praised his players’ fighting spirit after they came from 2-0 down to grab a precious point at Millwall. Bluebirds substitute Yousef Salech is up and running for his new club after he equalised with three seconds of stoppage time remaining as Cardiff snatched a 2-2 draw. The point means Cardiff are now unbeaten in seven matches – their best form of the season – and have moved two points clear of the relegation zone, up to 19th place in the Championship table.

Luke Williams insists Swansea City have recovered their pride after their derby day disaster, even though another defeat has left them as close to the relegation places as they are to the play-offs. The Swans lost 2-1 at home to Sheffield United, who moved back to the top of the Championship, but gave a display in marked contrast to their weak showing at Cardiff City last weekend. But they also gave away a soft equaliser after half-time and then had Harry Darling sent off for a reckless challenge near the halfway line.

Former Swansea City star Jonjo Shelvey has returned to the UK to sign for Championship promotion-chasers Burnley. The former Newcastle United and England midfielder has agreed a short-term deal running until the end of the season.

Ben Davies has returned to fitness in a boost for Wales, but failed to inspire Tottenham Hotspur as they crashed to defeat at Everton. The Wales captain recovered from a hamstring injury to play his first match for two months, handing Wales manager Craig Bellamy with welcome news ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in March.

Callum Robinson proved once again he is the main matchwinner for Cardiff City as he returned to net two goals for the Bluebirds in their 3-0 triumph over Swansea City in the South Wales derby. Robinson missed his club’s last three games through suspension following a red card against Coventry City, but he announced his return to the team with two brilliant left-footed strikes. Added to Dimitrios Goutas’ header, it was enough to give Cardiff an emphatic victory and  riposte to those who felt this fixture has meant more to their rivals in recent years.