Tom Carroll heads to Swansea

Long-time blog favorite Tom Carroll is making a nice step up in competition, heading on loan to Swansea City. There, he should have one last shot to prove to Tottenham Hotspur that he's a high level Premier League player.

Carroll was given a chance to win a first team place upon returning from Queens Park Rangers, but his preseason performances were a bit erratic. He was out-performed by Ryan Mason, and central midfield was always going to be a tough position to crack at Spurs anyway.

At Swansea, it's not exactly clear what position Carroll will play or what his opportunities for playing time will look like. The Swans have lost Alejandro Pozuelo, Michu and Jonathan De Guzman, but have brought in Gylfi Sigurdsson and have Ki Sung-Yeung back after his very solid season at Sunderland. There could be time at central midfield and attacking midfield available for Carroll, but he's not clearly first choice at either spot.

This is going to end up being a make or break year for Carroll. If he's spectacular, he'll get another chance at Spurs. If he's just okay, he'll probably be sold to a Swansea-level team. If he struggles, it's not clear what his future holds.