TAWE Blog #11 - Still No Signings But Swansea City Make Big Changes To Recruitment Setup

Last week was a quiet week in terms of news and events, but it’s fair to say that this week has made up for it with the new shirts revealed, Alan Curtis returns to the coaching team and the club announces a big shake-up to the recruitment setup.

Okay, there’s still no news in terms of new signings, but the big announcement regarding the new scouting & recruitment setup hinted that manager Graham Potter wants to assess his current squad get an understanding in terms of where he needs to strengthen. It’s also been mentioned that we want to sell players first before bringing new ones in.

We’ve received around £14m in transfer income so far with the sales of Roque Mesa (£8m) and Lucasz Fabianski (£6m) and it’s expected that that value could double with the sale of Alfie Mawson, with West Ham and Wolves linked with the defender. Federico Fernandez is rumoured to be one of a few players who we are looking to offload to raise funds and to reduce the wage bill. Others on that list include Jordan Ayew who was the subject of a rejected £8m bid from Fulham, Andre Ayew who’s expected to join Besiktas on a season-long loan and striker Wilfried Bony, who apparently doesn’t have a relegation clause in his contract.

Fernandez Possibly Leaving – Some Fans Aren’t Bothered?

It was speculated this week that we’re looking to sell our club captain Fernandez to reduce the wage bill and bring in more money, and some fans didn’t seem too bothered with the news that the defender is likely to leave. And it wasn’t simply because we’d free up funds to sign players, but the fact that some fans simply don’t rate him.

Not liking this not arsed attitude of some fans about the news that Fernandez will be sold. We'll go from Mawson & Fernandez to what…? It'll be a downgrade.

— Vital Swansea (@VitalSwansea) June 24, 2018

I tweeted the above which received a variety of different responses. Fernandez might not have been the best defender we’ve ever had but I’ve always thought he’s been committed to us and dedicated. He earned the captain’s armband and I thought he had a very good, consistent spell earlier in the season last year before his father passed away. I also thought that defensively, he’s looked more solid than Alfie Mawson – who could attract bids of £15m-plus this Summer.

So, given my views on the player, it seemed a little strange for me to see some comments from fans that they weren’t bothered at all with the idea of him leaving. Yes, van der Hoorn and Bartley could be a decent defensive partnership next season in the Championship, but we still need another two centre-backs to add competitions for places at the back.

Very worrying that the club are taking this stance. You can understand moving on someone like Bony, on huge wages, injury prone and done nothing, but Fede? If he doesn’t want to leave then it’s purely about making money at the expense of the quality in the team.

— G ???? (@ghs_1986) June 24, 2018

I’m disappointed at the news re: Fede. It really is turning into a fire sale. I only hope that this is done swiftly, and that part of the reason is to give Potter and co maximum funds to rebuild this summer (and winter). Time is running out however, & we need several new faces

— Andy Tidy (@andytidy_80) June 24, 2018

You’re kiddin right? Fernandez is trash, no heart.

— Adam Crocker (@AdamCrocker86) June 24, 2018

Another 2 Players Leave Swansea City

Kenji Gorre also opted to reject a new contract and join Portuguese side Nacional, and there’s speculation that we’ll hold on to under-23s Player of the Year George Byers who, unlike Gorre, will sign a new contract.

Let’s hope the speculation is right as George Byers is one of the few players who has the potential to play in the first-team in the Championship next season.

The Big Scouting Team Shake-up

So the Swans made a big announcement this week with the news that they’ve replaced their entire scouting team with new staff. Not only that, but their board “update” said that Graham Potter and head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay will be responsible for identifying transfer targets.

Excellent news, just hope that chairman Huw Jenkins stays well clear in the decision process and if anything, is only involved when a contract is concerned.

We asked fans about their views on the news, and how it changed their opinion on the recruitment setup at the club, here’s how you voted:

Following the news that an entirely new scouting / recruitment team has been setup with the former scouting staff leaving, how has this changed your feeling about the player recruitment aspect at the club?

— Vital Swansea (@VitalSwansea) June 28, 2018

Macaulay To Identify Transfer Targets As Swansea City Make Big Changes To Recruitment Setup

And talking of the backroom staff, welcome back the legend that is Alan Curtis!

‘A Big Compliment To Be Asked To Join Coaching Team’ Says Swansea City Legend

The New Kit Has Gone Down Well With Fans

Swansea City fans like the new 2018/19 kits, with only 12% voting in our Twitter poll that they don’t like the home or away shirt. 37% voted that they like them both, and the away kit has gone down the best, with 34% preferring it to the home.