Q&A: Is Wolves loan star Luke Cundle ready for Premier League step up?

After making his breakthrough into the Wolves team last season, the 21-year-old earned a loan move to Championship side Swansea, where he played 34 times in all competitions.

With that experience now under his belt, we spoke to Tom Coleman, a sports writer at WalesOnline, to determine if Cundle is ready for regular top flight football.

How would you rate Cundle’s loan?

All in all, he was a real success here. I think it took him a little bit of time to really adjust to Russell Martin’s methods, but as the season went on, he really seemed to flourish. Martin’s possession-based, high-energy brand of football requires a certain type of player, and Cundle showed he was more than up for the challenge. His run of form at the end of the campaign was particularly pleasing. In his last four appearances, he earned two assists and scored two goals. He even indicated he’d be interested in coming back next season, an idea Martin certainly seemed keen on. Sadly, one suspects Martin’s move to Southampton probably means it won’t materialise.

What position has he best been utilised in for Swansea and do you think he could be better suited elsewhere?

He’s largely played the advanced central midfield role, but I think he can play a little deeper if needed, although I don’t really think he’s as strong defensively. For me, his best moments have come on the edge of the opposition box. He injected a real spark of creativity up front for the Swans at times, so I think he would probably prefer that advanced role.

Has Cundle shown enough in his Swansea loan to warrant a Premier League opportunity?

It’s difficult to say at this stage. I certainly think it’s worth Wolves having a closer look over the pre-season break. It’s always difficult to gauge these things as the gap in quality between the top flight and the Championship is bigger than ever. I guess my biggest concern would be that while he’s looked pretty confident in the Championship, he’s still played relatively little senior football. I’d maybe suggest another spell in the Championship just to get a few more minutes under his belt.

The fact that, as I mentioned, he was talking about the possibility of coming back here perhaps suggests that he himself doesn’t quite feel ready to play in the top flight just yet.

Does he have any qualities capable of making the step up?

Certainly there’s potential. I think the way he took to such a physically demanding brand of football here shows he’s got the steeliness to meet the challenge of the Premier League, but has with every young player, I’m not sure he’s quite the finished product as of yet, and I’m sure he’ll have no issue with me saying that.

Under Julen Lopetegui, Wolves have played a 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, would he suit any of those systems?

I think he’d be okay with the first two. I’m not so sure how well he’d fit into a 4-4-2. As I said, his best games for the Swans usually came when he was in a slightly more advanced role. Admittedly, the double pivot of Jay Fulton and Matt Grimes probably had a big say in that, and eased the defensive burden on the rest of the midfield, allowing players a platform on which to thrive.

Would he benefit from another Championship loan?

I think so. As much as it pains me to say it, it might be worth looking at getting him a club at a slightly higher level. Then again, it would have to be the right fit in terms of philosophy. One of the big reasons behind Cundle’s success here was the buy-in to Martin’s methods. If he’s sent somewhere radically different, I suppose there’s a risk it could muddle his development.

Would Swansea be interested in taking him back on-loan or permanently?

Absolutely. From what I understand, the club are keen to hire a manager that can continue Martin’s work. They ideally want some level of continuity in terms of approach. If they follow through on that then Swansea could certainly do a lot worse. Whether Cundle himself would be interested given he clearly enjoyed working with Martin, is another matter.

What, if any, have been his shortcomings while on-loan?

As with any young player, some of his decision-making could do with improvement, and I think he could perhaps do with some more time in the gym to equip him better for more physical battles. On a related note, he’s not particularly good in the air, although that’s probably more to do with the fact he’s around five foot six than anything else.

He could perhaps add a few more goal contributions to his game, but I think he has the attributes to do that over the coming seasons.