Swindon Town are hoping to complete a trade for Wycombe Wanderers defender Ryan Tafazolli by early next week.
Town have been looking for a new, physically dominant defender for the past few weeks and hope to have concluded a deal for the 33-year-old.
Tafazolli was at the Nigel Eady County Ground on Saturday, prior to Swindon’s 2-1 victory against Shrewsbury Town, for medical tests, according to The Advertiser.
Despite this, the final specifics of the agreement, such as whether it would be a loan or if he could go for free, are still being worked out.
This might be the first deal of what appears to be a busy final week of the transfer season for Swindon, who still need a striker to replace the injured Harry Smith and Botan Ameen, who is poised to leave.
Ryan Delaney would also want to join a new club where he could play more often, allowing Swindon to reduce their pay cost, although there is interest in other members of the squad, which could lead to bids.
Swindon began with two players in Tom Wilson-Brown and Filzofe Mabete, who had combined for fewer than ten league outings at the weekend, and will be without James Ball for about two months after suffering a posterior cruciate ligament injury against Oldham Athletic.
Tafazolli, who is six feet and five inches tall, is expected to make a significant contribution in terms of defensive nous as well as air play, where they have conceded eight goals this season, six of which have come from set pieces. When asked about his activity in the transfer market, Ian Holloway replied: “I’d rather talk about it when I’m certain it’s occurring.
“I don’t like discussing how many young chickens I have in those eggs before they hatch, like I used to with my parakeets.
“You should never count because half of them will be blown. I had eight once and thought, ‘Wow, eight rosellas, they are going to be worth this,’ but there were only two.
“I want to wait and get somebody if I can, and I do not know if that is happening yet.”
Tafazolli has made over 300 games in the EFL, League Two, League One, and the Championship during his successful career.
The 33-year-old has previously played for Peterborough United, Wycombe Wanderers, and Hull City, but he also spent time at Salisbury City early in his career and might potentially return to Wiltshire after 14 years.
The defender has made over a century appearances for Wycombe, but he has been eased out at Adams Park and spent the second half of last season on loan at Lee Man in the Hong Kong Premier League.
He also has over 100,000 followers on TikTok, where he recounts his adventures as a professional football player.
Leave a Reply