Swansea City midfielder Roque Mesa has dismissed a January move away from the club, just months after the Welsh side paid £11 million for the Spaniard.

Swansea signed Mesa from Las Palmas in July but he has struggled to get regular gametime and has slipped down the pecking order this season.

Mesa had been linked with a move back to Las Palmas, and even spoke about the rumours before, but this time he has quelled them.

Staying in Swansea

Speaking to Canarias Radio, Mesa said: "I am grateful that the fans of Las Palmas want me to return, when you win, you do not remember one (who has left), but you do when you have lost.

"My time in Las Palmas is over and now I support the team from here. I do not contemplate a return, because I want to succeed in the Swansea."

The news will be music to Swansea fans’ ears, as they have felt that Mesa has not had a fair chance to get a run of games in the first team.

Mesa did go on to explain why he expects more minutes, saying: "I'm pretty calm, it's not the first time I have no continuity, I know that working will get me the minutes I need, my situation will change. I know how this works," he added.

"I think the adaptation period to Swansea has already happened, this is football, but I am ready to count on minutes.

"I have a personal trainer with whom I prepare in the afternoons,” he explained, “I respect the decision of the coach on the 11 who play.

"I spoke with Clement not long ago and he told me he was counting on me, I respect him professionally, I respect the coach's decisions." 

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The competition

Mesa has had to compete with Renato Sanches, Leroy Fer, Ki Sung-Yueng, Tom Carroll, Sam Clucas and Leon Britton for minutes in Swansea's midfield.

All of those, bar Sanches, has had prior experience in the Premier League.

Paul Clement has suggested previously that Mesa still needs time to adapt to the league, which the midfielder also discussed.

He said: "There are many differences, the first one is the stadiums, it's like that, the schedule helps the spectator go to the field, all of which makes the Premier League more attractive."

"There is a change in the game,” the 28-year-old revealed, “the game is more direct, more exciting, there are matches that go back and forth.

Before moving to Swansea, Mesa had never played outside of Spain and has spent the majority of his career in the second division.

"The atmosphere is special in Swansea, the fans are used to good football, because they had a style like Barcelona.

"At the beginning, the language was complicated, but I'm already doing it." 

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About the author
Jack Mceachen
Sports Journalist in Staffordshire University.