We analyse how Swansea City fared in January.
Who arrived?
Swansea were quite inactive during transfer window, but managed to add new players late. As Bafetimbi Gomis and Eder both struggled at attack, scoring only five goals combined, none of which came from the latter one, Swansea needed a striker. Francesco Guidolin arrived mid-January as the new manager and he signed Italian striker Alberto Paloschi from Chievo for around £7 million. In the last hours of the window, Swansea also brought Leroy Fer of QPR on loan until the end of the season.
Paloschi’s biggest strength is finishing attacks, a quality Swansea have been lacking throughout the season. He scored eight times in 19 outings for Chievo this season, more than all Swansea strikers combined. With his arrival, Ayew will probably go back to the right-wing, his natural position, and Paloschi will definitely have time and space to prove his worth in Wales.
Fer will strengthen Swansea’s attacking side of midfield. Gylfi Sigurdsson has not been good enough this season, even though he scored five goals, as most of them came from set pieces. Fer can also help on the left-wing, where Jefferson Montero lost his place and Wayne Routledge did not really impress. To say the least, it will be interesting to see how much impact Fer can make in Swansea’s quest for goals, as the Welsh club scored only 22 in 23 matches.
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Who departed?
Jonjo Shelvey, Gerhard Tremmel, Franck Tabanou and Eder all left the club. The latter three went on loans, at Werder Bremen, Saint-Etienne and Lille respectively and Guidolin will not miss them much. Tremmel was the third option as a goalkeeper, Tabanou never had a chance to take Neil Taylor’s place at left-back while Eder did not fit well in Swansea’s system. The Portuguese striker failed to score a goal this season and his place in the team was lost long time ago.
Yet, Shelvey’s departure could hurt the Swans, but not because of less options in midfield. Ki and especially Leon Britton showed they are material for bringing the team up the table, but the real problem lays in Shelvey’s new club. The Englishman went to St James’ Park, Swansea’s relegation rivals. His form had been varying from excelling to disappointing at the Liberty this season, but if he finds stability in England’s north, than Guidolin’s players will have another rival in quest of staying in the Premiership. Yet, if Swansea continue playing as they did against Watford and Everton, there should not be much trouble for Shelvey’s former team mates.
Who can help the team?
Paloschi will be of great importance. The team has been scoring less than a goal per match and improvement in those numbers are priority. Fer’s late arrival could change a lot, as Guidolin will have more attacking options, bearing in mind Montero’s and Emnes’ inabillity to make a break into starting XI.
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Swansea could have looked into a decent right-back as both Angel Rangel and Kyle Naughton had some shaky performances of late, but it is understandable why Guidolin did not purchase anyone – other positions were of bigger urge.
Overall Rating
It was very neutral transfer window for Swansea. They could have brought new players to improve competitiveness in central-midfield, but bearing in mind previous managerial situations, it is not unusual they did not act.
Only Paloschi and Fer moved to the Liberty. The Italian might be just what Swansea needed, but with all other players in the club, they must step up as well. Fer comes from the Championship and might need time, but on a loan spell, so one can expect him to shine quickly. With Swansea improving in recent weeks, this could be a decent job done, but the relegation threat is still hanging above them.
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