Image source, Huw Evans Picture AgencyImage caption, Swansea paid about £1.5m to sign Ethan Galbraith last July
ByGareth VincentBBC Sport Wales- Published54 minutes ago
Vitor Matos says he hopes Ethan Galbraith will be a Swansea City player for a decade as the Championship club consider offering the Northern Ireland midfielder a new deal.
Galbraith, who signed from Leyton Orient last summer, has been one of Swansea's standout performers in his first campaign as a Championship player.
The 24-year-old has also shone at international level, winning plaudits for his performance in the World Cup play-off semi-final against Italy last week and then being hailed by national boss Michael O'Neill as the best player on the pitch in Tuesday's friendly against Wales.
Swansea signed Galbraith on a contract running until 2028 with the option of a further year, but could hand the former Manchester United youngster an improved deal as a reward for his contribution this term.
Matos says he will not discuss individual player contracts until they are finalised "internally".
But when asked whether he would like to see Galbraith remain in his squad for the long term, he said with a smile: "I think he's a player we want to see in Swansea for the next 10 years, so let's see how long we can sign the contract."
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Matos says Galbraith has established himself as a "really important player" having made an "impact" whether playing in midfield or as a back-up right-back.
The player has quickly become one of Swansea's biggest assets alongside striker Zan Vipotnik, who agreed a new long-term contract last month.
While Matos hopes Galbraith will follow Vipotnik by signing a fresh deal, he says the Swansea hierarchy must agree to make that happen.
"It needs to be a collective approach, something that is not only from me, but is something from the club because nowadays in football you can see that managers quite often come and go," he added.
"I think in these kinds of situations the manager needs to have the first and the last word, but in the middle there's a lot of discussion that happens where there needs to be a collective approach."
Galbraith hopes to add to his 44 Swansea appearances when Matos' side return to action at Sheffield United on Friday (15:00 BST).
However, his fitness for the Bramall Lane trip is being assessed after he returned from Northern Ireland duty complaining of a calf problem.
