Ten signings, and the free one has played 356 of Swansea City's 360 league minutes

Ten first-team players arrived at Swansea City this summer by the club's own notices, and four games into the season the one who has played almost every league minute is the one who arrived without a fee. Stephen Welsh, 26, agreed to join from Celtic on 10 June after 29 appearances on loan at Motherwell. He has started all four Championship games and played 356 of the 360 minutes, coming off on 86 minutes against Watford. Swansea City have conceded once in four league games, the fewest of the 24 clubs, and are top on ten points.

What each one has given so far

Joseph Opoku, 20, signed from Zulte Waregem on a four-year deal after 10 goals and 6 assists in the Belgian league last season, has 261 Championship minutes and two goals. Moussa Yeo, from Red Bull Salzburg, has 225 minutes. Elijah Just, from Motherwell after a 7-goal, 7-assist Premiership season, has 214 minutes. Stephen Eustáquio, from Porto on 27 August, needed 25 minutes at Derby for an assist and then made a full debut against Watford, 115 minutes in all. Ross Stewart, a free agent after nine Championship goals for Southampton last season, has nine minutes. Tom Iorpenda, 21, from Huddersfield Town after a season on loan at Notts County, was an unused substitute against Watford. Jenson Seelt, on loan from Sunderland, has four minutes, the last of the Watford win. Tiago Parente, on loan from Benfica, is yet to appear. Jeremy Monga, 17, joined on loan from Manchester City on 2 September and needs a FIFA minor application approved before he can play.

What the scan found

Cover ranks every arrival against the league he came from and the league he is in, and prints a rank only when it is top five. One of the ten has one: Tom Iorpenda, in League Two last season on loan at Notts County, drew 93 fouls, the second-most of 381 players in the division, and made 101 tackles, the third-most; his seven League Two assists, eight including the play-offs on the provider's count, ranked seventh. Welsh and Just ranked nowhere in the top five of the Scottish Premiership on any measure, Yeo nowhere in Austria's, Eustaquio nowhere in Portugal's, and Stewart, Opoku, Parente and Seelt did not clear the minute floor in the league pulls the scanner reads. On this season's Championship only Welsh has played enough to be ranked, and he ranks nowhere in the top five yet, so this piece leads on minutes. Iorpenda's card is the one outlier in the window. Last season's totals are the club's or API-Football's, and no fee is printed because Swansea City state none.

The other side of the ledger

The money in was Liam Cullen to Leicester City on 31 July after 207 appearances and 37 goals, Ethan Galbraith to Stoke City for what the club called a significant undisclosed fee, Rico Santos to Sheffield Wednesday, Kyrell Wilson to Gent, Cameron Congreve to Westerlo, and Kit Margetson to Manchester United under a compensation agreement. Ollie Cooper, Leo Walta and Florian Bianchini were the first-team loans out, Walta to Los Angeles FC with an option to buy. Wrexham are at the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday night.

Correction, 3 September 2026: this piece said Stephen Welsh had played every league minute and that nine players had arrived. He has played 356 of 360 minutes, off on 86 against Watford, and a tenth signing, Jeremy Monga, was announced after we filed.