Sink or swim time for Swans as some flock to sunnier climes

It has been an interesting summer at the Liberty Stadium. While Michu has gone on loan to Napoli, goalkeeper Michel Vorm and left back Ben Davies are on the verge of joining Tottenham.

Gylfi Sigurdsson, however, who spent the second half of Swansea’s first season in the Premier League on loan in 2012, is set to return to South Wales, going in the opposite direction as new Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino trims his squad.

There is a clear lack of ambition from Swans chairman Huw Jenkins, who embarked on an aggressive recruitment drive last summer when he spent upwards of £20m on new talent for boss Michael Laudrup, who, despite a run of poor results, still had a better coaching pedigree than current boss Garry Monk.

Laudrup led Swansea to a League Cup glory in 2013, though with an influx of new signings last term it took a while for everyone to bed in. Factor in Michu’s injury-hit campaign, and Wilfried Bony was still finding his feet, and the writing was on the wall for Laudrup.

Now, with Bony himself also reportedly said to be on the way out, their odds-on price of 1/9 to stay up next season, all of a sudden seem seriously short. A glimmer of hope for the Swans is that ex-Argentina striker Javier Saviola is being linked to the club, after having his contract torn up at Olympiakos. They would face competition for the 31-year-old though, with QPR also interested.

Furthermore, Swansea are chasing Marseille winger Dimitri Payet, with a £6.5m fee reportedly agreed between the clubs. However, it is the same old story for the south Wales outfit, that could be a consistent issue throughout the transfer window. The 27-year-old winger is said to be unsure about the move, adding fuel to the fire that Monk lacks pulling power for high-profile players.

With the Swansea manager and former captain lacking the charisma and coaching flair of Laudrup, it is fair to assume they could well be relegated next season, if the exodus continues.