By Paul Jones
Former Swansea City goalkeeper Michel Vorm has earned plaudits from the club after he announced his retirement.
The 37-year-old left Tottenham in July at the end of his contract and has now called time on his playing career.
Spurs paid tribute on their official website, writing: “Michel’s daily work with skipper and number one Hugo (Lloris) over the years cannot be underestimated, as well as his influence on our younger goalkeepers, the likes of Alfie Whiteman and Brandon Austin.”
Swansea tweeted: “Wishing former Swans keeper @Vorm_Official a very happy retirement! All the best, Michel.”
Dutchman Vorm joined Swansea from Utrecht in 2012 and spent three years as their first-choice stopper, winning the League Cup in 2013.
A key part of former manager Michael Laudrup’s team, Vorm was once linked with a move to Barcelona after being spotted in the city, only to reveal he had been there with his family to visit the city’s zoo.
He then moved on to Spurs, backing up Lloris for five seasons before rejoining the club last term as cover when the Frenchman was out injured.
He was a regular in their run to the 2015 League Cup final and played five times in their 2016-17 Premier League runners-up campaign and twice in the 2018-19 Champions League as they reached the final.
Vorm won 15 caps for Holland and was an unused member of the squad which reached the 2010 World Cup final.
Swansea host Stoke City tonight, anxious to get back on the winning trail after three matches without a victory.
Defeat at home to Huddersfield was followed by draws away at Coventry and Bristol City and head coach Steve Cooper has suggested the time may have come to rotate some squad members with eight of his outfield squad having started every Championship match so far this season.
Asked if he was planning to make some changes to that pattern, Cooper said: “It will be sooner rather than later.
“It didn’t really come too much into the thinking for the Bristol City game because there was an extra day of rest.
“But going into a Saturday-Tuesday, I certainly think that you really need to monitor the physical and mental status of the players.
“We’ve got players who are not on the pitch at the moment who are ready to go and we need to utilise that.”
Stoke are currently eighth in the table, two places beneath Swansea, but have the same number of points and are unbeaten in five league games.
Cooper added: “Stoke will always be a difficult game, regardless of maybe where they’ve been over the last couple of seasons.
“They’re a highly experienced and resourced squad, and if you catch them on the wrong day, they’re going to be a real handful.
“We’ll just make sure we recover as best we can from the Bristol City game. We’re at home and we’ll try and put the best plan together.”