It would be fair to say that most Swansea City supporters would have expected their beloved to have secured Championship survival much earlier than the middle of April.
It has left nerves frayed and fingernails chewed as Luke Williams has sought to mastermind continued existence in the second tier of English football, but finally the Swans got over a line with a 1-0 victory over Rotherham United.
All of which means that they can begin to prepare for life in the Championship in 2024/24 – a campaign in which they will need to improve in order to avoid being sucked into another relegation battle.
The Only Way Is Up?
Rotherham, Sheffield Wednesday (1/4) and Huddersfield Town (4/9) are those expected to suffer the dreaded drop, as far as the betting on sports is concerned, although a host of others aren’t out of the woods yet.
Swansea have just about proven themselves to be better than the bottom half-dozen or so in the Championship, but there’s been little else to cheer about under Williams so far.
The gaffer reflects on this afternoon’s win
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) April 13, 2024
Since taking charge at the start of January, Williams’ 17 Championship games in charge of the Swans have yielded 21 points, which averaged over the course of an entire season would be 56.8 – pretty much where they find themselves now.
Not only that, Swansea have kept just four clean sheets during Williams’ tenure, with just 18 goals scored at the other end of the pitch.
Those aren’t numbers that set the pulses racing on the south coast, although there is of course the caveat that Williams has been working with players that he inherited – rather than with those in his own vision. After a summer of transfer window, more of an accurate assessment of the progression, or otherwise, of Swansea City can then be drawn.
Old Heads
Williams has inherited a young squad that clearly has plenty of upside given their age, but inexperience needs to be matched with the nous of those that have been around the block a few times.
The hope is that the 34-year-old will agree to sign a new contract at the Swansea.com Stadium, although an injury-laden campaign has cast that future into doubt.
Stepping up in Allen’s absence has been Jamie Paterson, who finds himself one of the elder statesmen in this Swans squad at the age of 32.
But the forward has taken to the role of leader with aplomb, producing some excellent performances towards the end of the season – his assist against Stoke City earlier in April was a pivotal moment in securing Swansea’s Championship status.
Job done! 2 home wins on the bounce. Let’s finish the season strong @SwansOfficial #YJB
— Jamie Paterson (@jamiepaterson12) April 13, 2024
Paterson, like Allen, is out of contract in the summer, but the hope is that he will agree fresh terms with the club that signed him on a free back in 2021.
One experienced campaigner that won’t be going anywhere is Matt Grimes. He is contracted to Swansea until 2027, so the hope is that he will turn down any interest from elsewhere in the summer – even if the midfielder has caught the eye of Championship scouts with eight goal involvements and a series of impressive showings.
What does the future hold for Swansea City? Who can say, which is why Swans fans will go into the new season with a bizarre mix of optimism and trepidation.
