Analysis of our summer so far

The genesis of the ruck between Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins and Michael Laudrup’s agent, Bayram Tutumlu, was over the latter’s claim that the club were not providing sufficient funds with which his client could improve the playing squad.

So far this Summer, the club have brought-in Jose Canas and Jordi Amat, and re-signed Jonathan de Guzman – in addition to which, they’re also supposedly close to deals for Wilfried Bony and Thomas Ince, and are simultaneously pursuing agreements with Liverpool and Lyon for Jonjo Shelvey and Bafetimbi Gomis.

That’s quite an ambitious Summer; this obviously isn’t a club who are just happy to be in the Premier League and are content knowing that their existing players are too good to be relegated, Swansea are clearly looking to make an impact in next season’s Europa League and to move further up the division domestically.

So, for want of a better phrase, what was Bayram Tutumlu’s problem?

At a guess – and please don’t take this as anything more than that – Tutumlu’s position in that argument with Jenkins was probably an attempt to create unrest between his client and the club. Plenty of sides in Swansea’s current position would be happy with their lot, and would allocate very few resources to improvement – so there’s no foundation to the claim that Huw Jenkins isn’t backing his manager financially, or that the club as a whole lack ambition.

Frankly, Tutumlu’s grievance looks ever more baseless by the week.

This is an agitator, and an agent who has a track-record of moving Michael Laudrup around Europe with as much frequency as possible – he was looking for an excuse to create disharmony, and the generic ‘not enough ambition’ complaint seems retrospectively to have been an attempt to do that.

He’s made himself look extremely foolish – or, at least, Huw Jenkins’ commitment to forward momentum is doing that.

Bayram, that’s the sound of your credibility flying out the window

 

At the moment we are reported to be in for Bony, Gomis, Shelvey, Ince and this Nacer guy along with a few others. If we sign them all (highly doubtful, I agree) that's going to be an outlay of about £40 million plus wages plus what we've already paid for the players we've signed.

Surely we can't sign the lot? If the ridiculous happens, they could all say yes and we would be faced with an eye-watering financial outlay, or looking a bit daft by withdrawing our offers for a couple of them. If I had to choose who to sign from those we've been linked with, I'd have to go with the strikers Bony and Gomis. We seem to be well served in midfield, although I'd still like to see some added steel there, but, for me, goals are imperative to keep us in the league. I wonder what Bayram is thinking now. More importantly, who would you guys choose from the multitude we've associated with?

 

I'd go with you on those choices Ivor : Bony and Gomis. Up front is where there is the biggest room for improvement, and an improvent would be actually having an out and out striker.
Fingers crossed.

 

Perhaps the issue was over compensation to Tutu for his "work" to date or him trying to push the players he represents

 

I'd still like one extra player in the back to replace monk, tate and bartley

 

I liked the rumor that Esteban Granero was coming this way. I was wondering what will happen with two very similar left wingbacks? Can Taylor/Davis be a new attacking midfielder?

 

No need for any QPR relegated scraps

 

Thought the thread was a weather report

Tumululumulumu was flexing his muscles and wanted to be a big player at the club, rather than an agent. We said "No", called his bluff and here we are today.

 

Granero played under Laudrup in Getafe