How Swansea's new recruits have fared so far

Swansea made eight permanent first-team signings in the summer and recruited four players on loan, while Melker Widell arrived after his transfer was agreed last January

A period of significant change at Swansea City both on and off the pitch included a hectic summer transfer window.

After appointing Alan Sheehan as head coach on a permanent basis in late April, the Swans swiftly set about reshaping their squad.

The pulling power of rapper Snoop Dogg and Croatia legend Luka Modric - both of whom are investors in the Championship club - combined with a loosening of the purse strings under a new-look ownership group led to the Swans making no fewer than 12 summer signings.

With Melker Widell also arriving in Wales after his transfer was agreed in January, there is a fresh look to Sheehan's squad.

With almost a quarter of the 2025-26 Championship campaign gone, BBC Sport Wales looks at how the new recruits have fared so far.

Swansea's 13 new faces

Zeidane Inoussa (winger) - 2025-26 appearances: 11

Bobby Wales (striker) - 2025-26 appearances: 2

Cameron Burgess (centre-back) - 2025-26 appearances: 12

Ricardo Santos (centre-back) - 2025-26 appearances: 0

Ethan Galbraith (central midfield) - 2025-26 appearances: 12

Paul Farman (goalkeeper) - 2025-26 appearances: 0

Marko Stamenic (central midfield) - 2025-26 appearances: 7

Adam Idah (striker) - 2025-26 appearances: 6

Kaelan Casey (centre-back) - 2025-26 appearances: 4

Malick Yalcouye (central midfield) - 2025-26 appearances: 9

Manuel Benson (winger) - 2025-26 appearances: 4

Ishé Samuels-Smith (left-back) - 2025-26 appearances: 1

*Melker Widell (central midfield) - 2025-26 appearances: 9 (*signed in January, but only arrived this summer after returning to former club on loan)

(Appearances across all competitions, up to and including Swansea's 3-1 loss to Leicester City on 4 October.)

Hitting the ground running

Ethan Galbraith impressed as Northern Ireland beat Slovakia on Friday

There are some among Swansea's contingent of new recruits who turned heads from the outset.

Chief among them is Ethan Galbraith, who had not played Championship football before this season but looks entirely at home at the higher level after signing from Leyton Orient.

Having first tried to sign Galbraith last January, Swansea got their man in July for a fee of about £1.5m.

That already looks like money well spent, with the 24-year-old featuring in all 12 Swansea games this term.

Galbraith is an all-action, versatile player who has been deployed at the base of midfield and in a more advanced role.

He is also capable of playing on the right side of defence, and it would be no shock to see him operate there at some stage.

Galbraith has made 94 successful passes in the final third this season, more than any of his team-mates, plus four carries that have led to a shot, the most of any player in Sheehan's team.

He has one goal, a precise effort from outside the box against Crawley, and was unlucky not to claim a spectacular second when his long-ranger against Nottingham Forest rattled off the woodwork to tee up Cameron Burgess' dramatic late winner.

Galbraith looks a player capable of scoring more often – and of playing a central role this season.

He was left out of the starting side for Swansea's most recent game, the defeat by Leicester City, but that was as a result of fatigue after all the games the Northern Ireland international has played.

Marko Stamenic is a regular for New Zealand

Galbraith's midfield colleague Marko Stamenic is another summer recruit who has quickly settled in, even if his impact has been less spectacular.

There are contrasting reports on how much Swansea paid Forest for Stamenic, but it is safe to say the fee was sizeable.

Sheehan pushed hard for Stamenic because he likes the 23-year-old's physical presence, his ability to break up play and to be a shield for Swansea's rearguard.

He has made only seven club appearances this season – having signed after the campaign began and then picked up an injury – but looks like being a regular.

Stamenic averages 1.31 interceptions per 90 minutes, a record only bettered within Sheehan's squad by Josh Tymon (1.44).

That makes good reading in the eyes of Sheehan, who prides himself on making his team hard to break down.

Cameron Burgess won promotion to the Premier League during his time at Ipswich

Burgess' thumping Forest winner is the moment of Swansea's season so far, but he is another player brought to Wales for his defensive capabilities rather than attacking prowess.

Signed as a replacement for Harry Darling, the Australia international is a more physically imposing central defender whose early-season numbers catch the eye.

Burgess has made 80 clearances, the joint-most of any player in the Championship.

He has made 36 possession-winning actions, the second highest tally of any Swansea player behind Tymon (39), and has won 38 aerial duels, the most in Sheehan's team.

Burgess' role is not only to defend, however. He has made 715 open play passes this season, more than any other player in the division, while only three others have made more than his 149 carries.

Given all the possession that is coming his way, Burgess is under pressure to look after the ball.

Promising signs

Zeidane Inoussa joined Swansea from Swedish club Hacken

Zeidane Inoussa is another who arrived at Swansea for a substantial fee.

Sheehan has stressed the need to ease Inoussa into his new surroundings as the Swedish winger gets to know the Championship on the back of an injury issue at his former club, hence he has started only five league games.

He is yet to score for Swansea, though he has managed two league assists – no other Swan has more than one - and has created 10 chances in the Championship, which is only bettered by Tymon (16).

Inoussa has shown signs that his power, pace and technical ability will cause problems for full-backs, but Sheehan expects the 23-year-old's influence to increase as he acclimatises to English football's second tier.

The same could be said of Malick Yalcouye, the on-loan Brighton teenager who has been used fairly sparingly so far – he has started only four times in the league – but looks capable of making a mark despite the competition for places in Swansea's midfield.

Yalcouye has won 64% of his ground duels – only Ben Cabango (73.7%) can better than that at Swansea – and wins possession 5.89 times per 90 minutes, more than any of his team-mates.

Yalcouye also leads the ball-carrying stats at Swansea, thanks in part to the energy levels which caught the eye during his successful spell on loan at Sturm Graz last season.

At an initial £6m - which could rise to £7m - Adam Idah is the most expensive signing ever made by Swansea when not in the Premier League

Adam Idah, Swansea's most expensive summer recruit at an initial £6m, is another player whose opportunities have been limited to date, thanks chiefly to the form of Zan Vipotnik.

But there have been some encouraging signs, with the Republic of Ireland striker claiming a clever assist in the win at Blackburn and then registering his first Swansea goal in the Leicester defeat.

Sheehan, and Swansea, will hope that is the first of many for a player whose record suggests he should be a regular goalscorer.

More to come

A number of Swansea's summer recruits have not had enough opportunities, as yet, to make a proper impression, whether positive or negative.

Defender Ricardo Santos has not kicked a ball in a Swans shirt because of a pre-season injury, while back-up goalkeeper Paul Farman is - as you would expect - yet to feature.

Teenage left-back Ishe Samuels-Smith, who is on loan from Chelsea, showed signs of his potential in his one Swansea appearance, in the Forest win, but faces a fight for more game-time with Tymon continuing last season's fine form.

Striker Bobby Wales has featured twice – and scored on debut against Crawley – but the 20-year-old is unlikely to get regular action any time soon with Idah, Vipotnik and Liam Cullen ahead of him in the queue for a start up front.

Kaelan Casey, also 20, is another who is having to be patient, though the on-loan West Ham player has not looked out of place in his four appearances – three of which have been in the cup – in the centre of Swansea's defence.

Melker Widell has featured nine times – though he is yet to start in the league – but has not even made the bench in recent weeks with Sheehan saying the Sweden international midfielder needs time to come to terms with the English game.

Melker Widell played all his club football in Denmark and his native Sweden before joining Swansea

Widell, 23, is another who commanded a significant fee, and is regarded as a player of considerable technical quality.

Swansea will be desperate to see him make a difference in games given time.

Likewise, they will hope Manuel Benson can show off his talent.

The on-loan Burnley winger is a different case, given that he is 28 and has proven in the past that he has the ability to be a difference-maker in the Championship.

There has been the odd glimpse of what he can do in his four Swansea appearances to date, but all concerned will hope there is more to come from the Angola international.

*Stats via Opta Analyst and include Championship games only