Swansea City season review: Progress, frustration and work to do
- Published
Russell Martin celebrated with fans after Swansea's final-day victory over West Brom gave them 23 points from their last nine games of the season
Russell Martin began 2022-23 with the aim of ensuring Swansea City finished "a lot higher" than they had in his first campaign at the helm.
Martin will feel his team hit that target, after a sparkling late-season run led them to 10th, five places better off than 12 months ago.
They came up only three points short of the play-off positions. In 2021-22, they were 14 points adrift of sixth.
Yet despite that progress, there is a feeling of frustration for Martin.
His team proved in spells that they could compete in the Championship, but it was either boom or bust for Swansea during a season of sharp contrasts.
Ultimately, their lengthy post-World Cup struggle - which included a miserable January transfer window - put paid to any hope of a return to the Premier League in May.
What went right?
Only three teams - champions Burnley, runners-up Sheffield United and Middlesbrough, who are in the play-offs - scored more Championship goals than Swansea this season.
Martin's unwavering commitment to a possession game brought 68 league strikes, 19 of which were scored by Joel Piroe.
The Dutchman's form dipped at times, but his contribution has been huge since he arrived from PSV Eindhoven two years ago. The problem for Swansea is that there is only a year left on his contract.
Joel Piroe has scored 44 goals in two seasons at Swansea
Ryan Manning is an even more pressing issue as his deal expires this summer. The left-sided defender would be a major loss having been named player of the year by Swansea's fans.
Nathan Wood, a £400,000 signing from Middlesbrough, was a major success in his first season playing regular Championship football, with Martin already fearing that he will follow Flynn Downes - who left Swansea for West Ham last summer - to the Premier League.
Matt Grimes had another sound season in midfield, where Jay Fulton was a revelation having been a fringe figure during Martin's first Swansea season.
Olivier Ntcham, meanwhile, showed in patches - particularly at the back-end of the campaign - that he can be a game-changer in the second tier.
Ntcham, like Martin's team, needs to produce on a more consistent basis in 2023-24.
Swansea started the season slowly, then won seven of nine games to climb to fourth after victory over Cardiff City, the first part of a second successive league double in the fixture that matters most to fans in south Wales.
But after October's derby victory, Swansea limped through a run of three wins in 23 league games, leading to discontent in the stands and questions over Martin's future.
The nine-game unbeaten run - featuring seven wins, including a memorable last-gasp triumph at Cardiff - at the end of the season transformed the mood once more.
What went wrong?
While Swansea's goalscoring record made pretty reading, their efforts at the other end of the pitch were not so impressive.
Only four teams - three of whom were relegated - conceded more second-tier goals than Swansea in 2022-23.
It is not difficult, therefore, to see where Swansea need to improve next season.
Their chances of doing so will depend to an extent on what happens in the summer, with Martin hoping for much more joy in the upcoming transfer window.
He did not get the pace and athleticism he wanted last summer, with Swansea failing to adequately replace loanees Hannes Wolf and Cyrus Christie.
Then came January, where numerous deals were on the table, but none got over the line, much to the frustration of Martin and his staff.
Martin, like Swansea's fans, is waiting to see what impact the appointment of Andy Coleman as the club's chairman will have on recruitment.
Of the deals done last summer, Wood was a big success and Harry Darling did okay, but will be hoping for better next season, while Joe Allen needs some luck with injuries.
The former Wales midfielder remains a class act in the Championship, but saw his impact limited by various fitness issues.
What do they need this summer?
Joel Latibeaudiere (centre) and Ryan Manning (right) have been important players for Swansea under Russell Martin, but both are out of contract this summer
Martin has made it clear he wants Manning to sign a new contract, along with two other players who are about to become free agents, Joel Latibeaudiere and veteran defender Kyle Naughton.
Piroe is among a number of players heading into the final year of their deals, meaning Swansea have work to do if they want to avoid losing assets on the cheap, or worse still on free transfers.
Then comes recruitment. Swansea are interested in re-signing Luke Cundle on a second season-long loan from Wolves.
After that, Martin's quest to add power and pace to his team continues.
Some potential transfers may hinge on Martin's future, which is surely high on the priority list for Coleman as he gets his feet under the table.
Martin has only a year to run on the deal he signed in August 2021.
Relations between the head coach and Swansea's American owners have been fraught at times, particularly after the January debacle.
But if Coleman, Jason Levien and company want Martin to stay on for the long term, it makes sense to hand him a new contract now.