The 2016/17 season was a real eye opener for Swansea City and their fans. The Welsh club had been flying high for years, some way above where many assumed they would have been after their promotion in 2011.
Come Christmas though, they were languishing in deep relegation trouble following the sacking of Francesco Guidolin and the questionable installment of Bob Bradley as manager. The American struggled massively as his lack of experience in the Premier League was exposed.
His sacking was inevitable and it allowed Paul Clement to become manager. The former Bayern Munich assistant coach guided the Welsh side to a 15th placed finish in the end, some way clear of Hull City in 18th.
A fantastic finish in which Swansea beat Everton, Sunderland and West Brom had the Welsh fans dream of another season in the league become a reality, but after the elation, the attention of the entire club must turn to focussing on building upon their survival.
After two failed managers in one season, the Swans have found a leader that can guide them forward. Clement utilised a squad that had struggled earlier in the season and found a way to win, which is very telling of how he will manage this season.
Some fans disputed that Clement’s tactics and style of play threatened Swansea’s philosophy of keeping the ball and moving it quickly. He seemed far too prone to letting the team play the long ball and hitting crosses, but with Llorente up-front, the plan worked perfectly and was a huge factor in their survival.
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It is of paramount importance to the Swans that Clement can find a way of playing that is effective with his current personnel. Positively, the manager now has the summer to strengthen his side and their Premier League status allows the attraction of better talent to the team.
In conjunction with this, Swansea simply must keep ahold of their two best players in Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente. Sigurdsson scored 10 goals and picked up 13 assists, while Llorente hit 15 goals and picked up a single assist.
Combined, the two scored 25 of the Swans 45 goals, well over 50%, which is an astounding number. Both players have been linked with moves away from the club this summer, with Sigurdsson an Everton target, while the Spanish striker has been linked with Chelsea.
Of course, both players would fetch a pretty sum for the Welsh side, but where would they be without the two? Llorente was an untested buy at the beginning of the season but he fired them to safety, while the Icelandic international is their most influential player, and perhaps the most talented player to ply his trade for any side in the bottom 10.
To sell either player at this point would be footballing suicide.
The decisions that Clement and the Swansea hierarchy make this summer will shape the club’s future. The Welsh side could have ended up like Middlesbrough or Hull City after their promotion in 2012 with both sides immediately being relegated back to the Championship this season, but they instead have established themselves as a consistent Premier League outfit.
After five years in England’s top league, it is now make or break for the Swans. They must look to become like Stoke or West Ham, a fixture of the league in mid-table while constantly strengthening.
If they fail to do this, then the Swans may suffer the same fate as Sunderland who, after many painstaking years of avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth, finally succumbed.
