Rumours had been rife that the 24 year old Spaniard would reject any contract extension put on the table and with the departure of Roberto Martinez, the man who brought the winger to the Liberty Stadium also a factor, the chances of Orlandi signing back on were seemingly slim. Even the former Depotivio Alavés man admitted that he thought his time at the club had come to an end as he revealed on the Official site, he said, “At one point I thought my time at Swansea had come to an end,.When Roberto left I didn't really know where I was.”
Orlandi flew back to his native Spain to mull over offers from Spanish and English sides before jetting back to Swansea for talks with newly installed boss Paulo Sousa. Impressed by the Portuguese tactician and his vision to improve his game, the midfielder was certainly enthused to sign a new deal, " I spoke to the new gaffer (Paulo) and he told me to come over to Swansea for a chat. He said he was counting on me – and that's what I needed to hear, so I flew straight over from Spain. He told me I had to improve certain parts of my game and I agreed with him.''
He added, "I had offers from other English and Spanish teams and, if I am honest, I did come close to signing for another club. But in the end there was only one place I wanted to be and I rang the chairman myself to push the new deal through. Now I'm just delighted that everything has been finalised.''
After a merry-go–round month with so many changes afoot at the club, Orlandi's team-mates were certainly glad to see him pull on a Swansea shirt once more and the methodical approach of his new gaffer has certainly inspired the midfielder, he added,"I think the boys were glad to see me.It also gave me the chance to speak in more depth to the gaffer (Paulo) who communicates a lot with the players. He is always interested in you and tries to make you a better player.
Such is the stature of Sousa in the European game from his Champions League winning runs to his participation in major footballing tournaments, Swansea's new boss has the respect of the Barcelona born winger, "Everyone knows he was a great footballer and I'm sure he will be the same as a manager. I've already got the utmost respect for him.''
Plagued by a knee injury, that has seen the midfielder only make 27 appearances for the club, Orlandi has set himself his own new personal targets and is craving a play-off spot come next may, "My target is to play a lot more games and help Swansea reach the play-offs.''
This article first appeared on JACKARMY.net.