Swansea City Season Preview
If you are a fan of solid fundamental play from a club filled with guys who consistently provide quality shifts while keeping the off-the-pitch drama to a minimum, then one must enjoy the brand of football Swansea City have to offer. Since their promotion a few seasons ago, they have provided a blueprint on how to take a Championship side and build it into a competitive top flight one, showing little sign of being relegated any time soon.
Naturally, at the end of the day, the results have to come from the XI men on the pitch, but the true magic behind this club has to be the front office, as they have created an atmosphere for major talent to want to come and play in, despite the lack of European competition (save for one season so far). They managed to bring in some quality names this summer, while losing virtually no one that played a part in their last campaign, suggesting that there is nowhere to go but up from their eighth place finish in the table last season and the highest point total achieved in their PL history.
If you want a refresher course on how last season worked out for the Swans, take a look at this handy reference to catch up. Otherwise, let us waste no time at looking at the shape of things to come, starting with the changes in the roster...
Roster Movement to Date
Before looking at the comings and goings which are official, this would be the appropriate place to address the current situation with once-considered talisman, Michu. Earlier in the month, Garry Monk provided a rather definitive statement concerning the central attacking Spaniard. Monk stated that Michu "won’t be with the squad this year" and the club is actively seeking offers from anyone willing to pay 50 cents on the dollar right now. Michu was loaned out to Napoli all of last season, so the face of the club going forward has already been defined without him, and a move away shouldn't be felt at all.
Transfers In
Andre Ayew
Franck Tabanou
Eder
Kristoffer Nordfeldt
Transfers Out
Gerhard Tremmel
Alan Tate
David Cornell
So again, as far as losing players go, the Swans have lost virtually nothing. Tremmel was the backup to Lukasz Fabianski, and was not very good when deputizing, Cornell is another keeper even lower in the depth chart who didn't sniff PL action, and Alan Tate has not been a factor with the club since they were still in the Championship. For a closer look at the transfers in, you can find them below along with the rest of the current roster as we look at the prospects for the upcoming season, especially from a fantasy perspective, with a position-by-position breakdown.
Follow the RotoWorld_PL team on Twitter: Galin | Jeremy | Neal | Nik | Steve | Ben | Rob | Matt
Manager - Garry Monk
One of the most underrated storylines of last season, not just with Swansea but across the entire league, was the success of first year manager Garry Monk - and by first year, I mean first year managing anything on any level. In a league that can not get enough from the media, Monk somehow quietly put together a solid, if not spectacular, season while receiving virtually no fanfare outside of Liberty Stadium. He would probably tell you he wouldn't have it any other way either. Monk definitely proved that the hire from within was a smart one, and one has to imagine he will only get better with experience which, according to his new contract, has another three years of seasoning to come.
Keepers - Lukasz Fabianski, Kristoffer Nordfeldt
In most fantasy formats, Fabianski was one of the top scoring keepers last season, and when looking at it from a value perspective, he may have been the most effective shot stopper of them all, as his starting price was naturally below that of the keepers playing on Top 6 clubs. He is a slam dunk every-match starter barring injury for the coming term, unless the wheels come off completely for him. With last season's backup Gerhard Tremmel released at the beginning of the summer, the Swans needed to shop for another and they have their man in Nordfeldt, who figures to be an upgrade to Tremmel.
Defenders - Ashley Williams, Federico Fernandez, Neil Taylor, Kyle Naughton, Franck Tabanou, Angel Rangel, Jordi Amat, Kyle Bartley, Dwight Tiendalli
The Swans racked up thirteen clean sheets in their previous campaign, a very respectable number, and outside of a drubbing at the hands of title-winners Chelsea, they were never completely dominated by their opposition. The entire unit is back with a new addition to try and repeat, if not build on, a solid season. Captain Williams looks to keep the armband again but be wary that clubs like Crystal Palace are looking at trying to whisk him away. If he stays with Swansea, he will be as dependable for starts as they come, and in leagues where they reward clearances, he is one of the very best. Fernandez figures to be his regular partner at center back again. He doesn't provide much beyond clean sheet potential for fantasy purposes, but he should continue to be dependable in his role. If he isn't, Jordi Amat and Kyle Bartley are both ready to try and take the gig. Bartley has gotten a start so far in preseason while Amat is nursing a minor foot injury.
Kyle Naughton arrived last January from Spurs and immediately displaced Angel Rangel from the right back position. He then was injured for a while but made it back at the end of the season and was immediately given the position back, suggesting that the changing of the guard is officially carrying over to this season, and Rangel has to get used to being second fiddle. Tiendalli is a fullback who can play on either side but is below everyone on the depth chart. That versatility though may give the Swans the chance to offload Rangel should they want to do so. The big drama is at left back with the acquisition of Tabanou. Neil Taylor was the main man at left back last season, and even though he was thought to have done well, and the club gave him a contract extension to make that notion clear, they went out and got some stiff competition for him in Tabanou. Each have been handed a start in preseason and it is still anyone's guess as to who will earn the role. For now, one has to lean toward the incumbent edging out the new boy based solely on experience.
Midfielders - Gylfi Sigurdsson, Ki Sung-Yueng, Andre Ayew, Jonjo Shelvey, Nathan Dyer, Jack Cork, Jefferson Montero, Wayne Routledge, Matt Grimes, Jay Fulton, Leon Britton
Swansea City seems to be the perfect environment for Sigurdsson to thrive in. After a year with Spurs spent on the fringe, he picked up with the Welsh side right where he left off and there is no reason to think he won't have another fantastic season, both in reality and in fantasy. He is the playmaker, can score from seemingly anywhere and is a set piece machine. If attacking leads to a positive result, he will be the usual reason why and will scoop up the lion's share of bonus points in the fpl.com game. Ki Sung-Yueng was the perfect example of a solid player having a strong season with absolutely no hype around him at all. Monk may want to turn to him more often than Shelvey, who can be brilliant, but is probably the most inconsistent player in the squad. The two will probably not occupy the pitch simultaneously often, as Jack Cork is the only real defensive-minded midfielder in the mix. That would make Shelvey the most dangerous of this group to depend on to start the season.
On the flanks, the big catch of the summer is Ayew, who figures to be nailed on at the LM spot. This spells doom for the likes of Jefferson Montero, who finished strong for the club last season. The two aren't completely forced to battle for one spot, but until we see one of them being utilized elsewhere in preseason, it is looking like Ayew is the one to own. One may want to take a wait-and-see approach with him in fantasy though, as the transition to the Premier League has thrown a bump in the road to many a player before. Long time Swan Nathan Dyer looks to have the edge on the right for now. There isn't much upside from a fantasy perspective, but Dyer has shown flashes of form in the past that has thrust him onto the radar of fantasy managers. Routledge is somewhat of a utility attacker who can play wide on either side or even centrally if need be. It may take an injury or two for him to have fantasy relevance though. Leon Britton is a veteran defensive midfielder with no fantasy appeal and Grimes and Fulton are young and coming - not yet in the mix for regular playing time for the senior club.
Forwards - Bafetimbi Gomis, Eder, Marvin Emnes
It took some time for Gomis to establish himself after the loss of Wilfried Bony, but as last season wore down, he really started rounding into form. Though he is unlikely to ever be the force that Bony was, he looks to have enough in him to be the main man. Competition and depth was needed at the position though and the Swans went out and got the Portuguese Eder. On paper, the two should be neck and neck to grab the main striker job, though Garry Monk could always find a way to tinker with the formation and deploy them both. It is a reasonable expectation for Monk to just ride the hot hand at this spot, which could see Gomis start a run of 5 matches, then Eder 5, or when the schedule gets congested, a straight platoon. This will hurt both player's value until the season starts and we see who is anointed in Week 1. If you grab one in draft leagues, you may want to acquire both and save the headache down the road. Marvin Emnes is a distant third option at forward, and will not see minutes unless injuries hit the two main men.
Follow the RotoWorld_PL team on Twitter: Galin | Jeremy | Neal | Nik | Steve | Ben | Rob | Matt
The Swans have the unenviable task of opening their season at Stamford Bridge against title-winners Chelsea, but should have plenty of opportunity to do damage in the opening weeks thereafter, with matches against Newcastle, Sunderland and Watford between weeks 2-5. Sigurdsson, Williams and Fabianski would seem to be the strongest buys from the jump based on their track record, but Andre Ayew, Eder and Bafetimbi Gomis could all become relevant very quickly.
