Neil Harris admitted he faces a goalkeeping dilemma this month after axing Neil Etheridge for the derby clash with Swansea City. With Etheridge continuing to be linked with a move to West Ham, Harris opted to give Alex Smithies his chance and suggested one of his three keepers will be leaving the club during the transfer window. Smithies had few saves to make in a derby that petered out after the interval with both sides suggesting they had done enough to win.

Steve Cooper has revealed his new signing Rhian Brewster turned down a number of other clubs before joining Swansea City. The Swans manager – who could now give Brewster a debut at Cardiff City on Sunday – said he had been waiting all season to try and complete a loan deal for the 19-year-old Liverpool striker, who worked with Cooper at England U17 level. Brewster is highly regarded at Anfield but has found first-team opportunities hard to come by as Liverpool’s established attackers continue to shine.

Steve Cooper has gone in hard on his Swansea City players with the kind of determination and sense of purpose they were wholly lacking in their abject FA Cup display at QPR. Cooper may have hedged his bets with an under-strength line-up for their third round tie a week before the club’s Championship showdown at Cardiff City, but he clearly expected a lot more than the pacifist’s performance put up in their 5-1 defeat. Cooper, who was in charge of a team for the first time in the FA Cup, made one of the most damning accusations that a manager can make of his players – that they didn’t even care.

Rhian Brewster has been urged by his former Liverpool teammate Yan Dhanda to come and make an impact at Swansea City. Brewster is considering a loan move from Anfield for the second half of the season, with the Swans heading a queue of clubs who would like to sign the 19-year-old striker. Dhanda – who moved from Liverpool to the Liberty Stadium 18 months ago – is still a close friend of his former youth level teammate as well as Liverpool and England star Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Swansea City’s return to the play-off spots may come at a price – the loss through injury of influential skipper Mike van der Hoorn. The Dutch centre-back was helped off with a recurrence of a knee injury as the Swans beat Charlton 1-0 on Thursday night to move back into the top six of the Championship. Van der Hoorn is likely to miss Sunday’s FA Cup third round tie at QPR, but the fear for Cooper is that his absence could extend to the derby clash against Cardiff City next week and possibly beyond.

Steve Cooper has urged his Swansea City forwards to be inspired by Andre Ayew and become undroppable. The Swans manager – whose team host Charlton Athletic tonight (Thurs) – has said he still has striking options, despite the return of loanee Sam Surridge to Bournemouth and the remaining uncertainty over whether a loan deal for Liverpool’s Rhian Brewster can be agreed. Without either Surridge or Brewster, Ayew will lead the attack for a match that could see the Swans return to the play-off spots if they win – but the manager wants more consistency from the likes of Borja Baston, Kristoffer Peterson, Wayne Routledge, Nathan Dyer and Aldo Kalulu.

Swansea City chairman Trevor Birch has suggested fans should prepare for possible bad news over the future of the club’s academy. The renowned production line – which has provided the likes of internationals Daniel James, Oli McBurnie, Connor Roberts and Joe Rodon in recent years – could soon be closed down in a bid to cut costs. Reports emerged last month that the Swans were considering closing their Category One academy at Landore as they continue to seek savings following their relegation from the Premier League 18 months ago.

Bersant Celina has defended his impact at Swansea City this season and urged his critics to look beyond the statistics. The Swans midfielder was a significant influence for his side as they won 1-0 at Luton Town at the weekend, to move into the play-off places until Sheffield Wednesday’s victory over Bristol City dropped them back to seventh. Celina was recently left out by Swansea manager Steve Cooper and had become a target for some fans after some ineffective performances.

Andre Ayew is proving to be the rock of experience on which Swansea City are rebuilding their promotion challenge, according to manager Steve Cooper. The Swans striker scored the only goal of the game as his team made it back-to-back victories in the Championship with a 1-0 win at Luton Town. After six games without a win, which saw the club tumble down the table, Cooper’s men have now taken maximum points against Middlesbrough and the Hatters and can now make it three on the trot on Boxing Day when they visit in-form Brentford.

Steve Cooper will be hoping Swansea City’s owners hold their nerve next month when the January sales start and clubs across Europe may look to pick up Andre Ayew on the cheap. Ayew scored twice in the Swans’ 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough at the weekend, their first victory for six matches, to take his own goal tally to nine for the season. The Ghanaian also showed his overall guiding influence on a team that would lack his savvy professionalism should he depart – sold or on loan next month.

Steve Cooper has told his Swansea City side there can be no excuses against Middlesbrough today (Sat) despite the absence of the banned Tom Carroll and injured Wayne Routledge. Midfielder Carroll will sit out the game at the Liberty Stadium following the first red card of his career. Carroll was sent off for a second bookable offence during Wednesday night’s 1-1 Championship draw with Blackburn Rovers and must serve a one-match suspension.

Steve Cooper claimed referee Jeremy Simpson will be dropped three levels after making four big mistakes during Swansea City’ 1-1 draw at home to Blackburn Rovers. The Swans manager gave both barrels to the experienced 44-year-old official who sent off a player from either side as the Swans’ winless run was extended to six matches. As well as the two controversial dismissals, Cooper also felt Simpson had ignored a Swansea penalty claim for handball and got another call wrong when striker Sam Surridge was pushed in the penalty area.