Former Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia shares his thoughts on Hearts youngster Alex King, who is expected to complete a move to Swansea City this week
Former Sunderland boss Ricky Sbragia shares his thoughts on Hearts youngster Alex King, who is expected to complete a move to Swansea City this week.
The 18 year-old was spotted along with new signing David Ngog at the club today and his transfer from the Scottish Premier League side should be confirmed very soon.
What’s most likely is that the player will sign a pre-contract deal this month before joining up with his new team-mates in the Summer.
Ricky Sbragia, who worked with King during his time with the Scottish youth setup, said:
“Swansea have obviously seen something in Adam that`s attracted them to him,”
“He`s got that ability to learn, concentrate and focus on what`s being said and then apply it in games.
“It`s always a boost for a player going to a new club. The jump isn`t that great at that age group, it`s more about settling in and getting used to the philosophy of Swansea.
“They will have a way of playing and how they want things done, but one thing they will do is give Adam time. It`s then about how he settles there.
“Things like digs are important. Where he will be living is in my opinion extremely important.
“The club will look after him in that regard. It will be a new experience and he`ll find it different but he shouldn`t be overawed by it.
“I think Adam has a bright future ahead of him, but only time will tell on that. It depends on his application and work ethic.”
“It`s a learning process for him,”
“From my point of view, I told him he is an exceptionally good player.
“In one of the Hearts Under-20 games we were watching his old brother Billy, and we noticed Adam was playing in midfield.
“You could see he had a good engine and was a good footballer with a good appreciation of the game, so we brought him into the (Scotland Under-19) squad.
“He played centre-back in one of the games we watched him and did very well there as well. He would be a bit of a miss for Hearts because he`s a good footballer.
“They produce good footballers at Hearts, and that`s a credit to their youth policy. They have some exceptional young players.”
He also believes Swansea City is a good move for him:
“If he does go to Swansea then they will take good care of him,”
“I think Adam is mature enough to deal with it.
“Whether he goes now or in the summer, I don`t think Adam will go into the situation with any fear. He will just get on with it.
“Hearts have a lot of belief in him and it looks as if Swansea must have that belief as well to make the bid in the first place.”
King has only managed 3 appearances for Hearts this season, but he is thought to be an exciting young prospect for the future.
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