There is so much positive talk from Swansea fans buzzing around the Transfer Tavern who seem to really believe that Paul Clement can save them from relegation this season.
Clement has picked up a managerial job which has already seen two casualties this season in Francesco Guidolin and Bob Bradley, but with some shrewd signings made in this January transfer window, he could well have armed his Jack army with the weapons needed for survival.
Having said this, there is still a long way to go in the season and our landlord has seen many great escapes in the past and with Swansea currently just sitting above the drop, a couple of poor results for the Swans along with a side around or beneath them gaining momentum could well spell disaster in South Wales.
That reason, then, is why our Landlord has been a voice of caution to our resident Swansea fans as he truly believes that these two transfer mistakes could cost Swansea City their Premier League place for next season…
Not signing a centre back
In the Transfer Tavern, it is not uncommon to hear our resident Swansea fans state that their club has not replaced former captain, Ashley Williams since his summer move to Everton.
There were fantasy stories coming out of the Liberty Stadium that Paul Clement may use his Chelsea roots in order to sign their captain, John Terry on loan however this never materialised and Clement instead turned to Benfica’s Argentinian centre back, Lisandro Lopez who was reportedly close to signing for the Jack Army – only for the move to collapse at the last minute.
An experienced defender would have been a major boost to Swansea and how costly could their failure to sign one be for the rest of the season.
Heaping the pressure on Fernando Llorente
There is no doubt that Fernando Llorente is pivotal to the Swans’ survival hopes this season, with the Spaniard contributing some vital goals in his short Swansea career so far this season.
Paul Clement’s decision to let Marvin Emnes go out on loan and record signing, Borja Baston not hitting the heights he was expecting to hit, now means that Llorente will have to take the majority of the goal scoring responsibility for the rest of the season with limited quality back up if he picks up an injury or loses form.
Though our landlord believes Llorente has enough quality to keep the Swans up, he still believes Clement could have dipped into the market for another striker.
