Michael Reeves
You don’t need to be a genius to know that at the end of every season there is a reset moment for clubs where they look at the nine months that have just preceded the start of the break.
During that time there will have been many good things, plenty of heartache and lots of things that did not go to the plan that felt so well executed at the start of the summer.
For the Swans this season there will be the long period that stretched for months either side of the World Cup where we could barely buy ourselves a win, the disaster that was the January transfer window and things behind the scenes that did not go smoothly. On the plus side there was the excellent run of form in September and at the end of the season, the strong performances of many players in the squad and a top 10 finish in what is often described as one of the most competitive divisions in the world.
As we reached the end of the season we saw the news about pending investment into the club, potential changes with both Josh Marsh and Julian Winter rumoured to be departing and a new Chairman who took just two days to baffle most of the supporters with the way he has approached the discussions that take place across all forms of media.
With the contract discussions ongoing this week for both the manager and players the summer is shaping up to be one of plenty of change both on and off the pitch.
Incoming we know we have the new investors in Brett Cravatt and Nigel Morris. Maybe in not in quite the way that Andy Coleman has but they will want to stamp their own marks on the club and ensure that some of the mistakes of last season are learned from. Both have spent time in Swansea both on and around matchdays and are said to like what they see. They will have had an input into what is about to evolve this summer that is for certain – investments of their nature do not just happen based on what they see today but what is planned for the immediate and even long term future.
The contract of Russell Martin will be near the top of the list for everyone behind the scenes. Not just because they want him here for the long term but it also protects the club’s own investment should Martin prove to be successful and attract more interest from club’s elsewhere. The position of compensation is as important to any club owner as stability.
Then it comes down to the bit that matters most for any football club and that is around the playing side. The strong finish to last season could be a distant memory if some of the people that made it happen depart this summer. The out of contract trio are well known but then you have the position regards those players that will have attracted interest through their play last summer. Nathan Wood, Joel Piroe and even Matt Grimes could fall into that category and the Swans will be keen to do what they can to hold onto those players.
That said, we know we do – and have done for many years – operated on a player trading model so it would certainly not be a surprise to see at least one “big name” depart before the transfer window closes. As is always the case at this stage we hope that that kind of dealing is complete earlier rather than later during the window.
There is also likely to be more behind the scenes changes at the club. Whatever happens to Marsh and Winter are likely to be the high profile changes but this is definitely a summer of change and a different make up to the ownership structure of the club will make sure that happens.
So for those that are expecting a quiet summer you can probably think again and nobody is able to predict just what things will look like when we get going again in August!
The footbal during the last couple of months has been excellent .Ok sometimes our builup is too slow and sometimes we give crazy goals away, but looking at the West Brom game on tv having already seen the game at the liberty you could realise how good our movement was and how many times we opened them up .Give us an athletic foolback and a pacy forwardand we don’t need much else .
Of course then we come to the contracts problem .There’s no getting away from it.We have three or four vital players and if we lose them we need top replacements .If some of them go it is possible some 10 million plus could come into the club and you wonder how much of that would find it’s way to Russell Martin.
We always seem to face a difficult summer where we risk losing a manager or a top player and this is no different.
Swansea and the FFP posifion is starting to look interesting. Into next season or perhaps the one after…underlying loss in 2021-22 pew player sales was £23m before tax. Category One Academy was no more which further reduces FFP allowances albeit costs too- by £4m reportedly.
ffp won’t be an issue as losses attributed to covid aren’t taken into consideration
Have just seen that the u21 have won 10-1 .I genuinely believe the potential in the club including the first team is enormous . All we need now is wise , honest encouragement from the owners .It would not cost a fortune to set us up as a realistic promotion prospect nex season .
It seems they may bevdiscussing Ntcham’s contract next week , a player who has been transformed in the ladt couple of months .We have nobody with his drive ,strength and scoring ability in the club .The result of those discussions will tell us all we need to know.
them bones them bones
Martins a clown good to see his backwards sideways stuff so impressive