Swansea City have another recruitment box ticked after the signing of goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, but there remains much work to do before head coach Luke Williams has the squad he wants.
It is coming up to 12 weeks since defeat to Millwall brought the curtain down on Swansea’s arduous 2023-24 campaign – and only 17 days until the new Championship season begins.
Vigouroux, who has arrived from Burnley for an undisclosed fee, fills the hole left by Carl Rushworth’s return to Brighton and Hove Albion, with Swansea confident he is the type of ball-playing keeper who will suit Williams’ style of play.
But vacancies remain across Swansea’s squad, most notably in attack.
Jerry Yates has gone to Derby County and Jamal Lowe is now at Sheffield Wednesday, meaning Liam Cullen and Mykola Kuharevich – who barely got a kick last season – are the only senior strikers on Swansea’s books.
It could be that Brazilian winger Ronald is used in a more central role at times in the new season, but that does not change the fact that Swansea need a centre-forward and preferably one who has a record of scoring goals in the second tier.
Finding that player is the priority for Williams and the club’s recruitment team and, with an opening-day trip to Middlesbrough on 10 August looming ever larger on the horizon, time is of the essence.
But it is not only up front that Swansea need to strengthen.
They are also in the market for at least one wide player. Ideally, in fact, they would like two, after Przemyslaw Placheta accepted the contract on offer at Oxford United.
Swansea are in need of defensive reinforcements too, with Nathan Wood and Bashir Humphreys not yet replaced.
That leaves Ben Cabango and Harry Darling as Swansea’s only senior central defenders – alongside veteran utility player Kyle Naughton – while the Welsh club’s full-back options are not bountiful either.
Kristian Pedersen and Nathan Tjoe-A-On are back in the fold after being sent out on loan last January, but whether either player will come into the first-team reckoning remains to be seen.
Vigouroux was Swansea’s third signing of the summer, while 11 players – not including Jamie Paterson – have departed since the end of last season.
That sharp contrast illustrates how much business still needs to be done.
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