Phil Sumbler
Luton Town could be a club heading towards the Premier League and if that is the case then the appointment in SA1 of Paul Watson could be one of the shrewdest signings we have made for many a year.
Watson is currently COO at Luton, a role he has held since 2021, having joined the club as general operations manager three years earlier. Incredibly it is only nine years since Luton were promoted from the National League which tells you much about the trajectory of the club over that period and therefore the part that Watson has played in that Stewardship should certainly not be ignored.
The Swans were, widely and rightly, criticised for their January window where nobody was signed and Russell Martin has often expressed his frustration at that – a frustration that is no doubt bigger now the Swans run of form took them so close to the play offs. Whilst the missing out on that end of season party was more down to the form from the end of October onwards rather than any missed signings in January, none of us will ever know what could have happened had we managed to execute a key part of the season better.
With new investors around the corner, Russell Martin has met and discussed items with them and knows that things will change this summer “If they come in, I am sure they will want [to have] an impact and to make sure we are doing things in the right way,” he told BBC Sport.
“I think once all that gets sorted, things will become clearer and it will help us in terms of preparation for next season.
“It will help us in terms of knowing where people are at – certain players – and will enable us to really move forward, knuckle down in terms of planning and hopefully get some things done.
“I don’t think this club are going to be in a situation where we splash millions and millions on players and all of a sudden pay ridiculous wages,” he said.
“Does it mean you can have a two-year or three-year plan to understand what it looks like, rather than just relying on player sales every year? That would be a nice position to be in, but I don’t know the ins and outs of it.”
The appointment of Watson is widely expected to be the first of many changes that will be as a result of ownership structural changes. It will always be the case that new investment – certainly to the level reported – will require some further change and bringing in Watson makes sense especially given the widespread criticism aimed at those who have overseen one of our worst windows in history.
Russell Martin also admits that those changes could impact him and he added to BBC Sport “I am sure once it’s sorted I would presume there will be a list of things they want to get done
“My situation will either be one of them or it won’t. I am quite relaxed about it. I have said before I would love to stay but I don’t make that choice.”
From a supporter perspective the desire has to be that the plan is clear and executed well and that there is certainly more than one avenue we can approach to reduce the astronomical wage bill that was reported in the accounts release at the end of last week. A £13m loss cannot simply be ignored and that will be a position that the majority owners – whether long term here or new to that particular table – will want to reverse. With Watson clearly someone they see as a key part to that jigsaw.
It could be an interesting summer ahead.
