The Yanks speak ... to Wales Online

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/swansea-citys-steve-kaplan-jason-15107053

 

But not to the supporters hmmmm
They say they've put their own money in ,that's could be interesting if true

 

Well there’s been no share issue - the Trust would have stated so publicly - so (short-term) loans?

 

yes it looks like and sounds like they've been repaid back to the yanks .They say they'd like to buy more shares but that's not investing that's just buying shares which has been something too many supporters think is good enough

 

What does the body language in this photo tell you?

please log in to view this image

 

Is it worth watching or is the BS just going to make barf?

Just not sure I can face it.

 

Actually Matt, it could be that they want to issue new shares - which should generate additional cash funding into the business.

That being the case, they will need to speak to the Trust as I suspect that there are pre-emotion rights and, if the Trust doesn’t have the cash to invest, they may find their overall shareholding percentage diluted.

 

When reading this, always remember that these guys are masters in rhetoric

How long will it take for Swansea City to return to the Premier League?

SK : We view this as a project in a lot of ways and respects. This is a reboot, we are doing it with young players who really want to be there. We know there are no guarantees we will get promoted in the first year in the Championship. This is a multi-year plan to get back up and, when we get back up, be sustainable.


Can you explain why Swansea have had to cut costs so severely this summer?

JL: There is a harsh reality to relegation which is that the players you had the day before you were relegated, are worth less the day after you are relegated.

Trying to figure out the market for those players, while trying to hold on to younger players who are growing into bigger roles was important for us.

We are creating a new identity around those players and the key to May and early June was finding the right manager, someone we could grow with over a multi-year period, someone who could be a good evaluator of talent and of who in the squad we wanted to keep and which players we were ready to let go of. That was a process that went on for several weeks.

First, finding Graham (Potter) and then working with Graham and Kyle (Macaulay). We held meetings in person and spoke over the phone many times over many days and hours. We decided on a strategy of bringing in young, aspiring talent they had identified. Trying to hold on to players on the current squad we felt could grow with that talent.

One of those key players was Oli McBurnie who had not had regular minutes with Swansea in the Premier League. We felt there was a big opportunity for him to take the next step and we rejected offers from other clubs for him because we wanted to hold on to someone like Oli. That was a key decision.

We looked at players who were later on in years and whether there was a chance to maximise their value. It was a difficult summer in that respect but if you look at the players we lost and the players we gained, we feel we are moving in a very positive direction and there is a lot to be positive about. There is certainly a lot of work to do and there is more investment to be made but the reality is there were players we bought along the way over the last two years that we are still paying transfer fees for and those are the realities of moving from the Premier League to the Championship.

Steve and I are committed to building a sustainable squad, we are trying to learn from our mistakes and add players of value who can grow into their roles.

SK : I give Graham Potter tremendous credit. He is playing young players who did not have the confidence to play. Oli McBurnie is an example. Everywhere he has played he has scored goals. I think Graham deserves credit for believing in him, and that is true of a lot of young players and what it says to players in the academy is that if they work hard there is a place for you in our squad. That’s a tremendous message.


JL: One thing I would add there is we also have some key older players like Martin Olsson and Kyle Naughton, we are looking forward to Wilfried Bony returning, Leroy Fer’s return has been a big boost. I don’t think we’ve seen Tom Carroll’s best football yet. Those are players with Premier League experience and knowledge that other Championship clubs do not have.

How big an issue or consideration is Financial Fair Play?

JL : It is something we are monitoring, we are talking about it all the time with our CFO and COO. We have to be very careful because it is important in terms of our ability in the transfer market.

The rules state that injection of equity from ownership to absorb losses from relegation provides additional financial leeway on Financial Fair Play. With that in mind, is that something you are planning to do?

SK : We are going to be taking a look at that. We obviously have to have a conversation with the Supporters' Trust and we will be having those talks over the next weeks and months.


What is the status of the proposed share sale that fell through and what happened?

SK: There has been a request for mediation. I hope that the Trust, the selling shareholders and ourselves can sit in a room without lawyers and figure out how to do something in the best interests of the club that is all I can say on that.

JL: We are ready to make the necessary investment in the club to keep the club in a stable financial position. We have ownership partners, and we are mindful of that and FFP rules. We are trying to do the right thing for the long and medium term. That is our position.

Have you put any of your own money into the club?

JL: We have used our own funds and put them into the club for advanced payments we would receive otherwise, but were waiting on. We have done that on multiple occasions and where appropriate we will continue to do that because we want the club on a more sound financial footing. So we stepped in and did that last season, and we have done it this season. We want to be thoughtful about it, but there are resources and planning behind that to make sure the club is financially secure.

In terms of that money you put in, does it return to you once those payments come in? Is there a requirement for that money to come back to you out of the football club?

JL: If we did not have that money back then it would equity. We would be putting equity in, we have not done that. If we put equity in then there would be no requirement for it to come back to us. Up to now, we have said that they are advances to the club that banks will not give us, and we are ready to step in and do that.

Can you explain why Ryan Woods was not signed from Brentford this summer? The failure to land him has become the defining moment of the transfer window.

JL: We certainly thought Ryan Woods was a talented player. He is very effective in the role he plays, but ultimately when we did our diligence we thought it was not the ideal fit for us at this time. That was a decision that took many different conversations with Kyle Macaulay, with Graham Potter, with Huw Jenkins and our whole team. It was not an easy decision as he is a player who is attractive for a lot of reasons, but we came out and said it was not the right time to make that deal happen.

That deal was pursued for a long time, even up until deadline day there were people at the club in South Wales attempting to get it done. If you had these reservations and the deal was not going to happen, why was it still being pursued? Doesn’t that suggest there is a disconnect between you operating on this side of the Atlantic, and club staff working in Swansea?

JL: I think the market at the end of the window is always hectic with a lot of comings and goings. When we assessed it on deadline day we felt it was not the right move. We certainly had a lot of appreciation for his talent level and were hopeful we could get something done. We sometimes have sold players on deadline day and taken a massive hit in terms of the reduction of what we receive. There was no appetite from Ryan Woods’ club to do that, with even a small reduction. I think we let the window play out as best we could and wanted to be opportunistic because we had an appreciation of what he would bring.


Was Graham Potter disappointed he did not sign given he clearly felt he would make a difference?

JL: We would love to provide Graham with every single player that he wants and that is something our whole staff try to do. But the reality of the market and how players fit together means we cannot live in a world where we never disappoint the manager. We would never want to disappoint Graham, we don’t want to disappoint him. As an example, Paul Clement was thrilled we got Renato Sanches and we got Wilfried Bony and Tammy Abraham. We made him happy, and each manager we have we want to balance making them happy with the long-term plan and where we are heading.

There has been speculation that the cost cutting is with a view to selling the club. Have you considered selling?

SK: We’re dug in. We’re not selling the club. We’re here to rebuild and we’re determined. So if anybody’s hoping we’re selling the club, they’re sorely mistaken.

Do you see yourselves staying for the long haul?

SK: Yes we do. You’re going to be stuck with us for a while.

What is the ultimate goal for you and the club? What’s the dream scenario?

SK: The dream scenario would be for us to shepherd the club back into the Premier League, put the club in a sustainable position, have some success in the Premier League. That would make me feel a real sense of accomplishment. I think, long-term, an expansion of the stadium while we’re in the Premier League, a naming rights deal on the stadium to help us with sustainability, improving our commercial operations so if we were ever again relegated, we’d be in a better position to withstand relegation. If we can accomplish that, I’d feel we’d accomplished what we set out to do.

 

A new share issue well may create cash funding into the Club but what will it be spent on , I think they want to create dialogue with the Trust because of the ongoing mediation . Myself I don't believe one word out of any of them and so far none of their actions have made me reconsider my view.

 

Can you explain why Swansea have had to cut costs so severely this summer? JL: There is a harsh reality to relegation which is that the players you had the day before you were relegated, are worth less the day after you are relegated.

Now is the time to go and buy Joe Allen because he'll be cheap as chips now that Stoke are relegated.

 

If the Trust doesn’t have sufficient cash or the inclination to invest, then the Yanks would have even greater control.....

Interesting that they want the sellouts in the same room as themselves and the Trust....

 

If I had the time I could literally rip every sentence of that transcript apart. It reeks of bullshit.

 

Was Graham Potter disappointed Ryan Woods did not sign given he clearly felt he would make a difference?

JL: We would love to provide Graham with every single player that he wants and that is something our whole staff try to do. But the reality of the market and how players fit together means we cannot live in a world where we never disappoint the manager. We would never want to disappoint Graham, we don’t want to disappoint him = Of course he was f*****g disappointed.

 

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Love these guys.....They are not multi millionaires for nothing or billionaires even......We are in safe hands.....

 

So they gave loans to the club to cover income due because of transfers that were being paid in instalments to the club. Be interested to know the interest rate.

And they have greater football knowledge and feel for the club than our manager and that’s why Woods didn’t come. Ok then....

 

That is one thing so far which wasn't disclosed

 

Who are we ?

 

where to start with that BS? I was going to quote and reply to large parts of it but what's the point. We all know the truth.