Survival the target as another overhaul beckons

"Are there going to be some ups and downs this season? I am pretty sure there are."

So said Luke Williams when assessing Swansea City's prospects for 2024-25 last September.

At that point Swansea were 16th in the Championship, having won one and lost two of their first four league games in this campaign.

Five months later, Swansea are 17th, after some ups and a fair few downs, with a string of low points coming since the turn of the year.

As a result, Williams looks like a coach with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

His squad, meanwhile, appears short on quality and depth – as has been the case from the start of what is becoming an increasingly painful campaign.

With 14 games of Swansea's season remaining, their primary goal is merely to ensure they are still in the second tier come August.

Talk of a play-off push always seemed optimistic, yet Williams had hoped Swansea would make some progress, at least, after last season's 14th-placed Championship finish.

They still might, of course, should they find some springtime form.

But the truth is that after six defeats in Swansea's past eight league matches, just staying in the division will do.

That is dispiriting for a club whose owners insist the ultimate goal is to return to the Premier League.

But if Swansea's hierarchy are serious about pushing for promotion any time soon, they must find a way to strengthen the playing staff.

After the brief high following last weekend's win at Bristol City, midweek defeat by Sheffield Wednesday brought a fresh barrage of criticism on social media.

The majority of flak – as is usually the way - was aimed at the head coach, but the fact is that Swansea's playing squad has deficiencies which are glaringly obvious.

It was clear last summer, it was clear heading into the mid-season window – when Swansea's one major piece of business was to sell their captain to Coventry City - and it remains clear now.

Regardless of who is standing on the touchline, yet another overhaul of Swansea's playing staff looks to be on the cards this summer.

The club's hope must be that the arrival of Richard Montague as director of football will help them get the next transfer window right.