No Swanning Around: Why Playing Hardball Could Come Back to Haunt Swansea This Summer

Swansea have spent the last seven years fighting to keep hold of their strongest assets. Be it Scott Sinclair, Brendan Rodgers, Wilfried Bony, Ashley Williams or Gylfi Sigurdsson - it hasn't usually worked out too well for the Welsh club.

Now that they're a Championship side, that struggle only intensifies; especially in the case of Alfie Mawson. 

One big name has already left SA1 this summer comes in the shape of Lukaz Fabianski, in what is bound to be a huge loss for the Swans. The Polish stopper was an absolute hit at the Liberty Stadium during his four year stay, and while a strong £7m was made for the 33-year-old - he'll undoubtedly be missed greatly.

That won't be the only exit this summer, though. Many more stars are expected to leave at some point; the most expensive of which, is expected to be Mawson.

Alfie Mawson, has come on leaps and bounds over the last two seasons since his £5m arrival from Barnsley. He's shown glimpses throughout that time that he is destined to play at the very top level one day, and it would take more than a miracle if the centre back was to stay in SA1 next term.

Reports have been linking Mawson to join Fabianski at West Ham, and there are believed to be various other suitors in the market for him. A potential fee of £25m is in the offing, but Swansea will be looking to hold out for as much as they can.

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Credit to the club where it's due; turning down West Ham's approaches will have taken a lot of will power considering the fee on the table. However, knowing there is quite a lot of interest in the England defender would've made the decision easier, and trying to get the most money possible from your valuable asset is obviously important.

The likelihood is that improved bids will eventually come for Mawson, and there is no rush for a firesale in Swansea. Parachute payments from the top flight are in place to ease the transition over three years, and with other departures looking likely to go through soon, Swansea should be okay.

Wilfried Bony is in the process of being offered to clubs on the continent, the likeliest of destinations currently looking like AEK Athens. His departure will take a huge load off the wage bill in South Wales, which is the most pressing matter at the moment.

Meanwhile, Roque Mesa is in the process of making his move to Sevilla permanent, which should see the Swans pick up around £10m.

The income at the Liberty right now is looking good, without the departure of Mawson, so financially, holding out for the best deal for them seems smart; and it is...for now.

Cast your mind back to only a year ago. The Gylfi Sigurdsson saga left the club, and Paul Clement, in ruins. Holding out for £5m more from the £40m offered by Everton meant that Gylfi's money couldn't be reinvested wisely; the Iceland international not leaving the club until very late in the transfer window.

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Imagine £40m being pumped into last season's squad. It may well have been the difference between staying up and relegation. Instead, Swansea spent £13m on Sam Clucas and crossed their fingers.

Letting this drag on for months will be hugely detrimental in one of the most important times in the club's recent history.

The top players are leaving, everyone has accepted that. Look at it like this - the Ayew Brothers, Bony, Mawson, Mesa; all looking likely to depart. The cash flow generated by that will be big regardless of when they leave. At the end of the day, Swans could make an extra £10m by waiting until the end of the transfer window to move these players along, but to what cost?

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Graham Potter is here and the 'The Swansea Way' is believed to be joining him. That transition doesn't happen overnight, and with six short weeks between now and the start of the season, there's a lot of work to do in a small period of time.

Deals need to be made earlier to give the new manager maximum opportunity to implement his philosophy and get the team working ahead of what will be a long and strenuous season.

Potter will have his transfer targets, and the dead wood will need to leave sooner rather than later if this summer is to be a success. Swansea have one chance to get this right, and it can go in either of two ways: Newcastle or Aston Villa.

It's about signing the right players with the right money, under the right manager.

Waiting for the best deal is a good idea at this point in the summer, but leaving it too long, as the club has already seen, could come at a massive cost.