Swansea's Summer Recruitment: Enviable as Liberty dreams higher

As Swansea City become more and more established in the Premier League, their business model becomes more enviable to the other 19 clubs in the top tier of English Football. From being on the verge of relegation to the Conference in 2003 to their all-time high finish of eighth in the Premier League last season, the Swans are on a mission. Their unprecedented rise shows how the Welsh club’s owners have punched above their weight and preparations have begun already for the coming campaign.

So far Swansea’s summer recruitment has been top class and deals have been primarily done to address squad depth and add further strength. Signing Andre Ayew on a free transfer from French Ligue One side Marseille has been the highlight as the Ghana international had also attracted interest from Roma and Liverpool. Portuguese forward Eder has also been signed from Braga for a nominal fee of £5m. The young and lanky striker is expected to play second fiddle to Bafetimbi Gomis who will have Ayew playing beside him up front. Eder brings an unknown element in the strike force, the striker who has already made 18 appearances for Portugal and scored 10 goals in 29 appearances for Braga last term.

The Swans have also added firepower in midfield by signing Franck Tabanou, the French star from Saint-Etienne for a fee believed to be around £3.5m. Swedish goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt has also been snapped up from Heerenveen a very nominal fee.

Jonjo Shelvey’s contract extension is also a good sign; the English International who has been deemed rash and unreliable is finally showing signs of maturity. Shelvey who came with a £5m price tag from Liverpool in the summer of 2013 is looking to finally settle both on and off the field; he recently married and manager Garry Monk will be pleased with his development since criticizing him publicly for inconsistent outings. Swansea too should be praised for showing faith and giving him the time to become an important piece of jigsaw in Monk’s credible midfield diamond. The baton passes to the youngster who will now have to take up from living club Leon Britton, the 32 year old who could leave in the summer.

Another aspect of the club doing so well is their enviable business strategy which could be compared to baseball’s vey own Moneyball model. Chief Executive and now Chairman Huw Jenkins was one of the saviours when he invested substantially in the club who were facing near bankruptcy. Also key to the club’s fight to save the drop was the Swans Community Trust, where the supporters are major stake holders and own 20% of their beloved side. While other clubs keep on conjuring debt, Swansea have maintained themselves as profitable. They have had the lowest wage bill in the Premier League in 2012 and since their promotion to the Premier League, Swansea have spent wisely.

They have brought in young players with resale value and have refrained from panic buys. Joe Allen, Wilfried Bony, Ben Davies and Scott Sinclair have reaped huge benefits while getting players from the Spanish contingent have helped them settle backroom. Allen and Davies were sold for £15m and £10m respectively; both were academy graduates. They also got the upper hand in the straight swap deal of Gylfi Sigurdsson for Michel Vorm. Selling Wilfried Bony for £25m to Manchester City in January earlier this year barely a season and half after he was signed for £12m also is fantastic business. Spanish striker Michu was also a real bargain at just £2m, scoring over twenty goals in his first season before fading out.

The Swans have also excelled in their appointment of managers. Paulo Sousa added much needed grit giving the team great defensive discipline while Roberto Martinez started the free flowing passing football. Brendan Rodgers did his job too while Michale Laudrup took to a different level winning the Capital One Cup in 2013. Monk has overseen their highest ever finish and the future looks bright.

Swansea have plans of a massive extension of the Liberty Stadium which currently holds 20,000 spectators as the Premier League’s TV rights deal is expected to boost their revenues significantly. So far the Welsh outfit have resisted foreign investment and the future could only get brighter from here on.