Rob Davies
Just as it looked like the Swans would be going into a summer with relative calm around the club, the news trickled through about Mark Allen’s dismissal from his post as sporting director.
Allen has a strong pedigree within the football world having worked with the likes of Celtic and Manchester City so his departure will come as a surprise to many after a largely successful couple of transfer windows.
What the actual reason is for the Welshman to be put on gardening leave as the Telegraph report is unknown, although Wales Online understand that chairman Julian Winter was unhappy with Allen’s performance.
He’s been in the public eye a lot recently talking about his hopes for the summer and boss Russell Martin has often spoken of their close relationship, even attending the recent Wales vs Austria match together.
But something has obviously gone wrong and how much it’ll affect the club’s plans going forward remains to be seen although it’s undoubtedly going to cause some issues in the short term.
The overriding question remains – where does this leave Swansea ahead of the summer with little in terms of a scouting network left at the club, and them now on the lookout for a sporting director too?
Previous Head of Recruitment Andy Scott left in early December before Martin’s assistant manager Luke Williams left in mid February.
This surely leaves the Swans in desperate need of some management at the very top of the football club and ahead of a pivotal summer transfer window suggests that there’ll be the usual chaos in close season that we’ve all become far too accustomed to.
It’s clear to see what will be needed on the pitch; a centre half, right back, attacking midfielder and some real pace is all required without any departurers (of which there will undoubtedly be a few).
The likes of Joel Piroe and Flynn Downes will all be attracting suitors and it’ll be vital that the Swans replace well to hopefully deliver a better finish to next season.
I’m sure this won’t be the last we hear about Allen’s departure and it’ll be interesting to hear the manager’s take on events in what is surely a blow ahead of the summer…
Well did he Allen not get on with Russell Martin or did Winter not liked the way he was doing his job it just goes to show no one is dispensable in the club just ask Scot And Williams so who is going to take this job knowing they could get the sack if things go wrong in recruitment were the players he was looking at way out of the clubs price range and I am not looking forward to the summer if the club sells our best players and is Winter just doing wat the owners won’t I read the other day that Lavien and Kaplan were looking to try and get Gareth Bale to come to DC United or was that just paper talk again but they think more of that club than the Swans we are just a money making club for them two.
Bring Michu or Angel Rangel in…. Get a rid of Russell Martin…. Such a big ego for the rubbish job he did…. We still playing the worse football ever.
Bring again the Spanish army so we can start playing attractive football again.