Will Swan

William Jonathan Swan (born 26 October 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Bradford City.

Swan began his career at Nottingham Forest, from where he was loaned out to Truro City, Port Vale and Mansfield Town. He was sold to Mansfield Town in July 2023 and was promoted out of League Two with the club at the end of the 2023–24 season. He spent the 2024–25 season with Crawley Town, before being sold to Bradford City in June 2025.

Career Nottingham Forest Swan joined the Nottingham Forest academy at the age of 13. Manager Paul Wotton said that "he comes from Nottingham Forest with high regard and its a real coup for us". The loan was extended into a second month and Swan went on to score nine goals in as many games for Truro, before returning to Nottingham on 1 March 2020.

After scoring eight goals for Forest's U23 side at the start of the season, Swan began training with Forest's first-team. Manager Chris Hughton gave him his debut in professional football on 29 November 2020, putting him on as a 76th-minute substitute during a 1–0 loss to Swansea City at the City Ground. The following month Swan signed a new contract to keep him at the club until 2024. However, his first-team opportunities were limited by the signing of Glenn Murray and return to fitness of Lewis Grabban. He scored his first goal in the English Football League on 6 March, during a 3–2 defeat at Cheltenham Town. He played ten matches during his time at Vale Park. He finished as top-scorer for the under-23 team, scoring 12 goals in 22 appearances as Andy Reid's side reached the semi-finals of the Premier League 2 Division 2 play-offs.

Mansfield Town On 9 July 2022, Swan joined League Two side Mansfield Town – his hometown club – on loan for the 2022–23 season; manager Nigel Clough stated that "he'll bring youth and energy to the team". In March it was reported that he missed the rest of the season with an ankle injury and was described by Clough as a "big, big miss". He did, however, recover earlier than expected from his injury and ended the campaign with ten goals from 34 games, finishing as Mansfield's top-scorer. He endured a difficult start to his time as a permanent signing as he struggled with injuries and took until 28 November to score for the first time in the league. On 13 February, he scored a brace and provided an assist in a 9–2 win over Harrogate Town. Clough said that Swan was like a new signing as the player went on to win that month's Player of the Month award. Swan scored ten goals in 42 games in the 2023–24 season as Mansfield secured the third automatic promotion place.

Crawley Town On 30 August 2024, Swan signed for fellow League One club Crawley Town on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. Scott Lindsey, the manager who had signed him, left the club the following month as the team began to struggle. Manager Rob Elliot praised him for his work rate in March 2025. He scored seven goals in 40 games for the "Reds" as the 2024–25 season ended in relegation.

Bradford City On 28 June 2025, Swan joined newly-promoted League One club Bradford City on a two-year contract (with an option for a further 12 months) for an undisclosed fee. The fee was reported to be a nominal five-figure with add-ons. Manager Graham Alexander remarked that "he can play anywhere along the front line, bringing others into play while giving us another goalscoring threat". He scored his first goal for the Bantams in a 2–1 victory away at Blackburn Rovers in the EFL Cup on 12 August. His first league goal for the club came a week later as an equaliser in an eventual 2–1 away win against Stockport County. He went on to score in each of his next four league games. He ended the 2025–26 season with eight goals in 35 games.

Career statistics

Honours Mansfield Town EFL League Two third-place promotion: 2023–24