Here are some players, some already have been linked with us, who could possibly be at The County Ground next season:
Max Porter (Rushden & Diamonds)
Max is an established England C International, with two goals from three appearances. He is a tenacious midfielder and is very highly rated by former Barnet and current England C manager Paul Fairclough. A good passer of the ball who can also get goals when needed.
Former Clubs: Tottenham Hotspur (Youth), Southend United (Youth), Cambridge United, Bishop's Stortford and Barnet
Chance Of Signing: Good - Max would definitely want to play in The Football League and would add pace to the midfield, plus Rushden & Diamonds need to sell players in order to keep afloat.
Jordan Santiago & Ibrahim Farah (both Cardiff City)
Jordan (top photo) is a highly-rated young Canadian Goalkeeper, who is out of contract at the end of the 2010-11 season. He has worked very hard under Cardiff City's Goalkeeping Coach, Martyn Margetson, but has struggled to break into the first team due to the performances of David Marshall, Tom Heaton, Stephen Bywater and Jason Brown and perhaps his future lies away from the Championship side. A great shot-stopper who commands his area well and can deal with corners/set play well too.
Ibrahim (bottom photo) is also very highly rated by the Cardiff City management, and is the first Somali national to play in the Football League. A pacy midfielder who can play on the wing or double up as a striker, he has a great first touch and can dictate play bringing in team-mates and supplying a killer pass when needed.
Chance of Signing: Jordan - Good, but there will be a lot of interest from rival clubs in this young 'stopper. Ibrahim - Good, however any deal would only be a loan deal as he is not on the transfer list at Cardiff City.
Nat Jarvis and Jonathan Meades (also at Cardiff City) are also good shouts for future Swindon Town players.
George Abbey (Free Agent)
An experienced Nigerian International who is no stranger to lower league football, George has previously played for Macclesfield Town, Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra and went on trial with Tranmere Rovers in May 2009 before opting to play in Cyprus. Solid and dependable, but age (32) may count against him if Swindon go for a youthful side.
Chance of Signing - Very Good, however as stated it depends on whether Paolo chooses youth or experience for his Swindon team.
Joe Anyinsah (Free Agent)
Joe is a winger/striker who is well suited to the lower league, and once netted 13 goals in 47 appearances for Carlisle United. Has had a bit of a nomadic career to date, but is dependable and grafts hard for his team.
Chance of Signing - Very Good to Definite. Joe would welcome a move nearer to his home town of Bristol and could see Swindon Town as a side at which to settle at. A very good player to have at League Two and would be a leading star for the club.
John Akinde (Free Transfer)
Like Joe Anyinsah, John has had a fairly nomadic career to date as well. He was, famously, the first transfer decided by a fans poll whilst at his first club Ebbsfleet United. Moving to Bristol City for £150,000 in June 2008, he has only played 16 first team games for the Ashton gate side with one goal. The rest of his career to date has seen him loaned out to Wycombe Wanderers (twice), Brentford, Bristol Rovers and Dagenham & Redbridge. John is a good striker who could be a handful at League Two level but urgently needs stability and the chance to prove himself.
Chance of Signing - Good. John would be interested in staying locally to Bristol, and could see Swindon as the club at which to relaunch his career. Will need to hit the ground running though, and good performances in pre-season will help his cause to be a first-choice player.
Lee Beevers (Free Transfer)
Lee is a decent central defender/full back who has recently been freed by Colchester United. Has played over 150 times for Lincoln City and played 20 times for Colchester and made seven appearances for Wales U21s. Dependable and can also play a holding role in midfield as well.
Chance of Signing - Possible. Lee has proven that he doesn't mind playing outside his native Midlands/North England, but he might prefer a move to a club closer to home. However, if offered a good deal by Swindon, he could be tempted with a move to Wiltshire.
Stephen Brooker (Free Transfer)
Stephen is no stranger to this part of the country, having played over 100 times for Bristol City between 2004 and 2009 netting 37 times in the process. An experienced striker with a good eye for goal, Stephen was most recently at Championship side Doncaster Rovers where he played 11 times and scored once.
Chance of Signing - Very Good. Stephen has played much of his club football in and around the Home Counties and West of England (with the exception of stints at Port Vale and Doncaster Rovers), so a move to Swindon Town would not be out of the question for him.
Ben Burgess (Free Transfer)
Ben is an experienced striker who has two caps for the Republic of Ireland U21s. Having started his career at Blackburn Rovers over 10 years ago, he has played for Northern Spirit (Australia), Brentford, Stockport County, Oldham Athletic, Hull City, Blackpoool and Notts County and played in Blackpool's play-off win over Cardiff City in May 2010. Not a prolific goalscorer in recent seasons, but at a lower level he should easily manage to get 15+ goals a season.
Chance of Signing: Possible. Like Lee Beevers, Ben might prefer a move closer to home over a move to Wiltshire. However, he has ventured south before in his playing career, so a move to The County Ground is not out of the question.
Liam Chilvers (Free Transfer)
Like Ben Burgess, Liam was recently released from his contract at Notts County. A very solid defender who started his career with Arsenal, he could be the leader that Swindon Town so badly need on the pitch. Won the FA Youth Cup with Arsenal in 2000.
Chance of Signing: Possible(ish!). It depends on whether Liam would consider dropping down to play in League 2, as he has spent the whole of his playing career in clubs outside of the basement division. The fact that Swindon is closer to his home town of Chelmsford might be a point in the clubs favour.
Danny Coid (Free Transfer)
An experienced full back, who has spent most of his career at Blackpool (over 300 games) and played for them in all four divisions, Danny is a tough-tackling no nonsense kind of defender and like Liam Chilvers is a leader who can marshall his defence well. Recently had a loan period at Rotherham United, and despite two red cards he put in battling performances for the Millers in their ultimately unsuccessful promotion attempt.
Chance of Signing: Possible/Difficult. Danny is based in the north of England, so a move south at this stage of his career might not seem too appealing. However, the chance to work with Paolo Di Canio and get himself the chance to prove his worth could tempt him to Swindon.
These 11 players could feature for Swindon Town in a possible 4-3-3 fomation:
(GK) Jordan Santiago
(DL) Danny Coid (capt.)
(DR) George Abbey
(DC) Lee Beevers
(DC) Liam Chilvers
(MF) Ibrahim Farah
(MF) Joe Anyinsah
(MF) Max Porter
(FW) Steve Brooker
(FW) John Akinde
(FW) Ben Burgess
This team looks very strong and could easily win promotion from League 2.
Substitutes:
(GK) Daryl Flahavan (Free Agent)
(DF) Claude Davis (Free Agent)
(MF) Mark Bradley (Free Agent)
(MF) Gavin Mahon (Free Agent)
(ST) Scott Dobie (Free Agent)
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