Why Relegation From the Championship is Definitely Possible for Swansea City This Season

Swansea City fans may only now be recovering from the heartache and disappointment of relegation from the Premier League, but they face a tough season ahead.

The Championship is one of the most unforgiving leagues in football and a poor start from the newcomers could see them struggle to survive, a possibility made all the more real after Sunderland's relegation last season.

One of the main reasons for fans to be fearful of relegation is the possible exodus of players on the horizon. Andre Ayew, Lukasz Fabianski and Ki Sung-yeung have already left the club and were all regular members of the starting XI last season. 

In addition to the trio of players who have already secured transfers, Alfie Mawson, Jordan Ayew, Federico Fernandez, Sam Clucas and Kyle Naughton have also been linked with moves away. Whilst fans may not be too concerned with Naughton's departure, given the discovery of Connor Roberts, the possibility of the others leaving will worry the Jack Army.

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With only two weeks of the transfer window left there is a possibility that Swansea may see up to five former starting players leave the club with very little time to replace them. A problem which is exacerbated by the adjustments to the transfer window in the Championship. 

The adjustments mean that players will still be allowed to join foreign leagues after the window shuts domestically. The result is that players such as Fernandez, who has attracted interest from Russia, could leave at a time when the Swans are unable to sign a replacement.

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Swansea fans will also be worried by the replacements so far. New signings Joel Asoro, Yan Dhanda and Jordi Govea are all around 19 years of age and have little first team experience. Asoro is the most senior of the three but has only played one full season in the Championship.

The issue of experience amongst the new recruits could be compounded by the lack of depth in the squad. Pre-season has so far illustrated that Swansea are not blessed with a variety of options in many positions, with midfielder Matt Grimes playing at left-back against Eibar. 

The lack of depth is worrying ahead of a gruelling season where injuries may be frequent, making it likely that these inexperienced players could start regularly for the Swans.

Aside from issues with the squad, Swansea's new manager could also cause problems for the club. Graham Potter's appointment has been met with initial optimism and positivity, given that the 43-year-old is renown for playing attacking football. However, Potter has never managed in England and has no managerial experience in the Championship.

Although Potter played in England, his lack of coaching experience in the league could cause issues for the Swans as their new manager looks to find his feet. Managing in Sweden could be an entirely different challenge to taking charge in the Championship, as the quality differences may prove to be significant.

Potter's playing style could even be an issue next season. Swansea have arguably not played passing football since Michael Laudrup left, and it is uncertain how many players will be comfortable on the ball. Pre-season has already demonstrated that there will be an adjustment period, but the Swans must adapt quickly if they want to survive.

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Relegation is a real possibility for the Swans but it could so easily be avoided. If Swansea keep some of their star men, sign some experienced players and implement successful tactics, the club could easily thrive in the Championship. However, it appears increasingly unlikely that Swansea will be able to achieve all three of these goals.