Swansea City remain unbeaten atop the Championship table after six matches, but the club's prolific forward from last season, Zan Vipotnik, is still waiting to open his goal account this campaign. The Slovenian international, who claimed the division's Golden Boot with 23 league goals last term, travels with his side to Southampton on Tuesday evening for a 19:45 BST kick-off.
Vipotnik's struggles stand in sharp contrast to his form a year ago, when he scored five goals in the opening six matches of the season. This time around, across the same number of appearances, he has yet to trouble the scoresheet. His most recent opportunity came off the bench during Saturday's goalless Welsh derby against Wrexham, where he looked sharp but could not find a way past goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
Despite the lack of goals, Swansea head coach Vitor Matos has expressed confidence that the 24-year-old will soon rediscover his scoring touch. "I think if someone knows how to score goals it's him, so I think it's just a matter of scoring," Matos said.
Part of Vipotnik's difficulty in finding rhythm may stem from a reduced role. He has made just one league start this season, with Adam Idah — a £6m signing from Celtic last year who missed much of last season through injury — preferred in every match since the campaign-opening win at Stoke City. Idah has already netted twice this term as he looks to establish himself as Swansea's first-choice striker.
Adding to the uncertainty surrounding Vipotnik has been persistent transfer speculation. Given that he outperformed his expected goals tally significantly last season, some believed Swansea might look to cash in on his value while it remained high. The arrival of Ross Stewart, following his departure from Southampton, only fueled talk of a possible exit. However, a £10m bid from Hull City was rejected, and Matos said he was unaware of any deadline-day interest from Burnley. The Portuguese coach acknowledged, though, that transfer windows remain open in other markets — notably Saudi Arabia — meaning a departure cannot be entirely ruled out before those close.
Former Wales international Nathan Blake, who has valued Vipotnik at around £25m, suggested last month that the swirling speculation and reduced playing time have affected the striker mentally. "I could see by looking at his face, he's not on it. He's probably two or three yards short mentally because of what is going on," Blake said. Matos himself conceded the circumstances may have played a role, admitting: "It's normal that some things can unsettle you when we are in the middle of all of this."
With Stewart sidelined for the Southampton clash due to injury and Swansea likely to rotate their squad for the third game in seven days, questions have arisen over whether this could be the moment for Vipotnik to return to the starting XI. Matos offered no firm commitment, saying: "We need to see what is best for the team." He did, however, praise the forward's overall contribution beyond scoring, citing his energy and work rate against Wrexham. "Besides the goals, he contributes a lot for the other parts of the game," Matos explained. "I think against Wrexham he came on really sharp with the right mindset, fought for the duels, fought for the first ball, second ball, tried to arrive in the box for that chance. Even with that he was helping building. So all that is coming — then it's just a matter of scoring and he will score for sure."
Swansea, who boast the meanest defensive record in the EFL having conceded just once all season, face a stern test against a Southampton side that thrashed Millwall 5-0 in their last outing at St Mary's. Matos rates the Saints highly, describing them as "one of the best teams in the league, a proper contender to win the league and get promoted," and is anticipating "a really, really good game for us to compete."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.