That tardy JB is back with illuminating prose from the depth of his waste ridden gallows. He sees what many don’t, he asks questions that everyone else has already asked, but never on a Friday evening.
It’s Friday evening, let this be a warning.
Summer days can be difficult for football fans. This year, the Euros have made it a lot easier, seeing the re-emergence of a strong Spanish side playing the best football of the tournament and showing ominous signs for the rest of the football world at the next World Cup. The football I enjoyed the most was in the group stages. As soon as it got to the knockouts, the bigger teams seemed to become too cautious, and the flowing football—and the entertainment—largely ended. There are some lessons for the rest of football—the game is a spectator sport, and we want flowing football and good goals.
One way of making summer more bearable, especially a cold and wet one like the one we’ve had so far, is to get caught up in the excitement of outgoing and incoming players at Swansea. The thread started by GV Jack (Losing the Will) probably resonates with many Swans fans. He wrote, "I normally love looking at the threads here at this time of year, getting excited for the unknown of the season ahead. But just not got the mojo yet this summer.”
Most of us enjoy this time of year as our team overhauls its squad, with players out and players in. The buildup can be driven by the rumour mills grinding away in the background, along with the added frenzy from social media nonsense and clickbait. It’s certainly much quieter than the close season this time last year when thirteen new players walked through the door. Another difference is that Michael Duff was working as head coach last summer. With Luke Williams working his first close season as head coach, he has had the chance to assess his squad since last December and consider who will stay and what type of player he wants to bring in to shape the team in his style.
So far, the Swans have brought in Goncalo Franco, Eom Ji-Sung, and Lawrence Vigouroux. Recruitment is scouring the foreign market, which appears to provide better value for money than the UK. From the video clips, Franco seems to be a hard-tackling midfielder in the mould of Joe Allen. He should add aggression to disrupt the opposition's attacking play and help us start attacking movements. Eom is described as an advanced midfielder who can play on the wing. He looks like a skilful player who will help open defences and score goals. The club seems confident in the long-term future of the two young players by offering them four-year contracts. Vigouroux has a different background. He seems like a character, which is always good to have. His skills look good, but I was most impressed by his three seasons at Leyton Orient before joining Burnley last season. He was player of the season for the Os for three seasons, won the League 2 Golden Glove and team of the season, and was part of their League 2 promotion team. All of this while playing alongside the great ex-Swan Darren Pratley. From the glimpses of today’s game against Koln, he looks assured, controls his area, and has good distribution. He seems to be someone who has knuckled down to work on his career and will benefit us and himself by working closely with Martyn Margetson.
So far, loans have yet to be announced, and hopefully, we have learned the importance of limiting their use. This strategy, which can be costly and only occasionally provides good value, can also limit the opportunities for players in our academy. By avoiding the excessive use of loans, we can foster the development of our academy players and build a stronger, more sustainable team. Many questions remain. What further outgoings will there be? Do the following have a future at Swansea: Kristian Pedersen, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Jamie Paterson, and Mykola Kuharevich? Presumably, Pedersen and Tjoe-A-On can provide cover in defence. Paterson looks as if he may not play for us again, as he failed to decide on the contract offered to him by the time the team left for Austria.
It is clear to all that new players are still needed. With Nathan Wood’s transfer, we need a centre-half to cover for Ben Cabango and Harry Darling. Hopefully, Josh Ginnelly will be fit for the season and can play left wing, with Ronald on the right. The big question for us is who will score goals this year. The recruitment team will prioritise this gap, as they will want it filled before the season starts. If we are interested in St. Johnstone striker Adama Sidibeh, then we would unlikely expect him to be our main striking threat. The other question is whether Kuharevich has been rehabilitated to the extent that he will be bidding for a starting spot in the first eleven. There are just over two weeks before the season starts at Middlesborough. In that time, answering questions about Kuharevich and who else we will bring in to score the goals for the coming season will be essential.
Hopefully, by the season kick-off, we will have found our collective mojo and be ready to go.