Earlier this week we brought you the five Swans’ players
that the club must hold on to and today we’re bringing you our second list of
players.
Gylfi Sigurdsson, Tom Carroll, Martin Olsson, Alfie
Mawson and Jack Cork headed that list but who will feature in today’s list?
Club stalwart Leon Britton simply must stay. The 34-year-old may have been limited to just 18 appearances last season but since he was restored to the side towards the end of last season, the Jacks took 13 points from five games, winning four and drawing one, a respectable point away to Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. That cannot go un-noted and his presence undoubtedly influenced that unbeaten run.
Club stalwart Leon Britton simply must stay. The 34-year-old may have been limited to just 18 appearances last season but since he was restored to the side towards the end of last season, the Jacks took 13 points from five games, winning four and drawing one, a respectable point away to Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. That cannot go un-noted and his presence undoubtedly influenced that unbeaten run.
Prior to Britton’s arrival back in the squad, the Swans
lacked speed in both their attacking and passing departments, watching the side
trying to counter was beyond painful and any seemingly promising attacks were short-lived
due to a sheer lack of clinical passing. However, Britton on the other hand,
came in and once again demonstrated his ability to move ball around quickly and
efficiently, linking up perfectly with Carroll. And not only is he great to
have on the pitch, his off the field influence can also not go unnoticed, he’s
a great head to have in the dressing room and we hope to see him hang up his
boots at the Liberty having resided in South Wales for some 14-years.
Ki Sung-Yueng is a player who received mixed opinions and
the South Korean international was the subject of interest from a number of
Chinese clubs in January, however, rather than cash in on the midfielder, he
should remain at the club. Granted, off the ball, Ki isn’t great and is far
from the strongest or most physical player in the middle of the park but his
passing attributes are second to none and he is the man who can make things happen.
If you pardon the pun, he’s essentially the man with the keys, he can unlock
attacks and support the forward line.
Another player Swansea should definitely retain, despite having
a slow start, is Jordan Ayew. In the final few weeks of the Premier League
campaign, the forward went from bit-part player to unsung hero. His Swans
career was kicked off with a run of substitute appearances, the majority of
which saw his teammates hoof the ball to him – great for 6ft4 Fernando
Llorente, not so great for 5ft9 Ayew.
A change in system fell in Ayew’s favour, Paul Clement’s
decision to switch with two strikers and a midfield diamond drastically changed
the Jacks’ fate. Having two strikers allowed for a more versatile game plan and
it mean the team was not too over reliant on Llorente’s frame, but could use it
if needed. Ayew’s pace and ability to run the passage helped Clement’s side to
widen their horizons, allowing them much more room for creativity in midfield.
In
defence, Frederico Fernandez should be retained, whether it’s as a squad player
or key player. Clement does need to add a centre-back to his ranks and Raul
Albiol has been linked (that’s a story for another day), but Fernandez has
proved his worth at the Liberty. The Argentinian formed an impressive
partnership with Mawson and was part of that watertight defence that helped the
Swans on that unbeaten run to clinch survival, conceding just two goals in five
games.
