Swansea City complete loan signing of Nelson Abbey

Swansea City have signed defender Nelson Abbey on loan from Olympiacos, subject to international clearance.

The 20-year-old defender will spend the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign with the Swans, and will wear the number 32 shirt.

He is available to be involved in the squad for Sunday’s south Wales derby, and provides head coach Luke Williams with an additional option at the heart of his defence.

“Nelson has key performance data that we really like in terms of being able to recover into the ground behind him, because very often we are high up the pitch,” said the Swans boss.

“He has those physical qualities and he has an aptitude for it, as well. He does not look uncomfortable being that high and recovering, and he has shown a very good one v one ability.

“He can recover that space but then defend effectively, and he shows a really good attitude towards being involved in the build-up and having the ball.

“Some defenders can feel uncomfortable having the ball in those situations, but he is not. I have spoken to him, and he has a really strong personality, he is an intelligent guy and we really like that because we provide a lot of detail to take on board.

“We really like him as a character and a footballer, so I think he makes our squad stronger.”

Abbey came through the youth ranks at Reading, and has been capped by England at youth level.

A highly-regarded defender, Abbey’s pace and his confidence and ability on the ball have been identified as qualities that fit in with the identity and style of play Williams is looking to implement, while the centre-back has previous experience of the second tier.

He made his senior bow for the Royals as a 17-year-old in a Carabao Cup fixture against Luton Town, and went on to make 31 appearances in total for the Berkshire club before moving to Greece in January 2024, with Olympiacos going on to win the European Conference League a few months later.