Swansea have been a regular in the Premier League ever since Brendan Rodgers successfully managed to steer them into the top flight in 2011/12, becoming the first Welsh team in the top flight since the League’s formation in 1992. Since then, they have managed to perform pretty well bringing in a new wave of attacking football in the process.
Last season saw them dangerously close to falling back to the Championships. A spurt of wins at the end guaranteed them another year in England’s top flight. Much of their fight back was a result of the top performances of Sigurdsson and Llorente. The loss of their captain Ashley Williams to Everton took a toll on their defence as they conceded 70 goals, the second highest in the league.
Paul Clement steered them clear of relegation last season, and they had a lot of work to do in the summer transfer window if they want to enjoy yet another season in the Premier League. They managed to sign Roque Masa, an exciting midfielder signed from Las Palmas; and Cian Harries from Coventry City. Prominent departures include that of Bafatembi Gomis and Jack Cork, two vital figures in their fight for survival last time around.
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They looked poised to losing Gylfi Sigurdsson, as well as a £50 million bid from Everton, might be enough to persuade them to part ways with their mercurial playmaker. With Fernando Llorente on the sidelines with an injury; can they survive the drop?
With another two weeks to the transfer deadline, they need to act; and act fast. Clubs around them are signing players to be in the competition; Swansea must do the same, or do something ingeniously different to avoid the drop.
Potential targets might be Jonjo Shelvey of Newcastle, a creative midfielder who could fill in the void left by Gylfi Sigurdsson’s departure.
They have a lot of firepower in Montero, Narsingh, Van der Hoorn and Mesa; but need to click and aim at getting a better start to the season. They had to thank their stars as Southampton seemed to have forgotten their shooting boots in their season opener, 29 shots are what they could manage with no end result.
Are they relegation candidates? Looking at the uncertainty amongst the club ranks, they are contenders for the drop.
With new boys Huddersfield Town rampant on day one, Brighton and Hove Albion defensively solid against City and Newcastle not in any mood for subtleties; it puts Swansea in a very precarious position.
