Melker Widell | It will be exciting to be part of the team, community and city
Melker Widell admits he has already closed his eyes and imagined himself playing in front of the Jack Army at the Swansea.com Stadium, after signing for Swansea City.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has joined the Swans from Danish club AaB Aalborg for an undisclosed fee, putting pen to paper on a deal through to the summer of 2029.
He will initially be loaned back to Aalborg for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, before formally linking up with Swansea ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
Widell revealed how Swansea’s interest immediately brought back memories of when he and brother Casper used to copy Michu’s signature goal celebrations as kids.
And he also spoke of how head coach Luke Williams and chairman Andy Coleman’s outlining of the club’s place in the local community struck a chord with him.
“It’s going to be amazing, I am super excited to sign for Swansea,” he said.
“I have known about the club since I was a kid. There have been some iconic Swansea players, when we were kids we used to run around copying Michu’s celebration.
“When the club’s name came up, I was immediately interested.
“I spoke with Luke and Andy, we had a call and the discussions were really good. I had a good impression of them, but also of the club itself.
“I only heard good things. It was really positive, and I really felt Swansea would be a great place for me.
“Hearing about the club and how it is part of the community really resonates with me, to know that everyone is a Swansea fan.
“I have seen some clips on YouTube of some of the home games, and I can sense the atmosphere and just thinking about it now makes me want to close my eyes and be there.
“I am so excited and I cannot wait to show everybody what I have to offer, and hopefully we have some years of success to look forward to.
“I am sure if everything comes together as a team, a community and a city then it will be very difficult to stop.”
The Swans had been tracking Widell over several months, with the club’s recruitment set-up having identified the Sweden Under-21 international as a player with the qualities to make an impact in the Championship.
When the opportunity arose, the club moved quickly to complete a deal, with the player leaving Aalborg’s training camp in Spain to head to the UK to complete his medical and the formalities of his transfer.
Widell has scored 11 goals and created nine more in 51 appearances for Aalborg, and he has vowed to give everything to use his energy and creativity to help Swansea.
“As a player, I always put my heart out on the pitch and give my all,” he said.
“That is always my number one priority, that my effort is always the maximum. For me that is a non-negotiable for every single player.
“But outside of that I feel I have some qualities that I can offer. I feel I can be creative, I like to play with a lot of energy to try and take players on and play a nice style of football that people want to come to the stadium to watch.
“That combined with a lot of hard work, I hope it can be a good mixture. I try to create my own style as a player, and I like to think I have something good to offer.
“Obviously, I do not join up with Swansea immediately, so my focus now to the end of the season will fully be on Aalborg, a club I have played for over the last year and a half and where I have become very close to the city and the supporters.
“I want to finish my job there in a really good way, and prepare myself for what is to come, which I hope will be a lot of good years with Swansea.
“If you tell me the fans there are excited to see me, I can tell you I am every bit as excited to see them.”