Swansea's lucky charm growing 'from the rain'

In seven months at Swansea City, Melker Widell has gone from fringe figure to lucky charm.

Widell has had to remain patient since arriving in Wales, having failed even to make the bench at times when Alan Sheehan was Swansea's head coach.

But Widell has been given a much more significant role by Vitor Matos and, so far at least, the switch has brought spectacular results.

The midfielder has started seven Championship games under Matos. Swansea have won six of those, with the other ending in a draw.

By contrast, Matos' Swans have failed to win any of the five league matches they have begun without Widell in the side.

It is the sort of statistic that players might like to highlight to their team-mates in the dressing room.

Widell grins at the idea – but insists he has done nothing of the sort.

"I haven't, I haven't," he says. "I don't know how popular that would be if I went bragging like that!

"It's a nice personal boost of course, to know that it goes well.

"First and foremost it's just a nice feeling to know that you're winning games because that's what we're here to do and we're doing that more now, so I'm happy."

Widell, a one-cap Sweden international, is a bright personality who has slotted in easily at Swansea, bringing energy on and off the pitch.

"Everyone loves him," Matos says.

Widell is humble, too, stressing in his excellent English that Matos' team are "performing well" whether he is on the pitch or not.

"I mean, there have been a few of those games that you mentioned where the scoreline wasn't in our favour when I exited the pitch [having been substituted], but when the game was finished we had won," he points out.

"So there's a lot of factors that play into it and the game-changers, as we call them, they're doing their part as well."

It was a year ago this week that Swansea clinched the signing of Widell - for what was an undisclosed but significant fee – from Danish side AaB Aalborg.

With interest at the time from a number of clubs, Aalborg were only prepared to sell last January if Widell remained on loan with them for the remainder of the season.

Swansea agreed, meaning the former Malmo youngster joined up with them at the start of pre-season last June.

Widell began 2025-26 with a substitute appearance in Swansea's opening-day defeat at Middlesbrough, with Sheehan believing he needed time to adapt to English football.

Sheehan gave Widell only two league starts before his sacking in November, though he stressed the player was "massively part of our plans".

"I feel like Alan was always fair to me," Widell says.

"That doesn't mean I agreed with his decisions. Of course, being left out of the squad was new to me - I hadn't been in that situation before.

"But I don't know if you have a saying here as well, where when it rains it pours and then from the rain something can grow.

"I saw that as an opportunity to learn and to grow as not only a person but as a player. I really feel like it gave me a lot and I also learned a lot from Alan Sheehan as a manager in terms of football stuff, so it wasn't all bad."

Playing for a new club in a new league and living in a new country, Widell says the biggest challenge was "the intensity and the physicality" of the Championship.

As a result, he says, there have been numerous extra hours in the gym at Swansea's Fairwood training base in the last few months.

"I just started following Jay Fulton a little bit and then it worked out," Widell says with another smile.

Widell has been used out wide at times this season but says he is happiest playing his part both in defence and attack when deployed in central midfield.

His ability to cover ground helps explain why he has been given more chances by Matos, a coach whose Jurgen Klopp-inspired approach is based on the press and counter-press.

Having been used more sparingly by Sheehan, Widell says he is "very much" enjoying playing for Matos.

"I think the biggest difference between the two managers in terms of how they handle me is that I feel like Vitor Matos sees my qualities and uses them in a little bit of a different way," he adds.

"He knows that I have a lot of energy and he lets me use it in the pressing, which suits me very well.

"And then on the ball he gives me a lot of freedom. He tells the team 'you should try your stuff, do stuff that comes to you naturally'. When you give that type of freedom to young players especially, I feel like it can be good."

Matos' approach has brought 19 points from 12 league games, enough to ease relegation concerns even if there is plenty of work still to do.

Five of the Portuguese's six wins have come at home, meaning progress is required on the road if Swansea are to maintain momentum.

And with trips to Hull City, on Saturday, and Watford to come next, Widell's record under Matos may face a couple of stern tests.

"There's many games left to be played, but I really do think that every time we get in after a game, if we've lost or we've drawn or we've won, we always have a lot of things to take from it," Widell says.

"I think we're on a really good path."