Swansea City's season is over and planning for next term can now begin in earnest.
Recruitment planning took a hit late last month with the news of football director Mark Allen's surprise departure, but boss Russell Martin believes it won't affect their approach too much. He said on Friday : "We’ve been really heavily involved in all of the planning. We’ve brought a vision of the team here and the club support us as much as they can to help us achieve that vision. We’re really clear in what we need. We’re really clear on who we want. What we’re not so clear on is the time frame.
"Julian (Winter) and Mark had loads of discussions. The decision has come that Mark is no longer here. I don’t think the club will ever make a decision that they don’t feel prepared for. Nothing has changed for us. It’s no problem. Everyone has real clarity in what we’re doing and why we’re doing it."
READ MORE: Russell Martin admits he wants to sign Joe Allen
These words came before news broke of Swansea's interest in bringing Joe Allen home to south Wales. Allen will forever hold a place in Swans fans' hearts, even if a reunion at the Swansea.com Stadium fails to materialise. But from Martin's stance, it is clear that there is real willingingness from Allen's boyhood club to get a deal done.
What have Swansea City said?
“Brilliant player, brilliant character. I watched him for Wales recently," explained Martin after the 1-0 defeat to QPR on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign. "He was excellent, the way he spoke to other players as well.
“He loves this club, I love him as a player. I will say it. I would love to [sign him]. We’ll have to wait and see. It will depend on a lot of things. We have a lot of midfielders at the club. We have some midfielders that haven’t played very much.
“People are going to have to leave for people to come in. But Joe is someone who would fit here perfectly. He knows the club, the club knows him. I am sure he has got plenty of offers and I am sure at some point we will sit down and have a chat about him."
Stoke City's stance
Allen, the Potters' skipper, led his current team out yesterday against Coventry City for what could be the final time. The 32-year-old is out of contract at the bet365 Stadium and now has a big decision to make, with as many as 12 teams - and interest from abroad - to consider.
He has spent six years with Stoke, with last season disrupted by a ruptured Achilles tendon, but it's understood the Potters are keen to keep him on board, and talks are expected to take place in the coming days.
“His attitude is terrific towards the game, his attitude is terrific towards training," boss Michael O'Neill said last month. "I think he’s enjoying it at this minute in time playing in midfield with the players we have in there. In recent weeks he’s had some really, really good performances.
“Joe is the type of player you want to work with, it’s as simple as that. Obviously we’ll have conversations between now and the end of the season and we’ll make a decision that is right for the club and a decision that we think is right for Joe as well.”
What Allen has said?
Mmm, not much. Not much at all, in fact. Allen has kept his cards very close to his chest over his future, as one would expect, with a contract running down and with several parties interested in his services.
“It’s been a long season, a tough season, and there is still an enormous amount to play for, so that’s all I am thinking about at this moment in time,” he told our sister title Stoke-on-Trent Live back in March.
He added: "Myself, anybody else whose contract is running down too, we are all going to put the fight in to try to do it."
The all-important question
So, does it make sense? You can approach that poser from two perspectives.
The chance to see Allen in a white shirt again, at the ground where he rose to prominence, is perhaps too good to ignore. Homegrown talents are always ones who are held closer to fans' chests, despite the fact it's been 10 years since he represented Swansea.
Martin will be losing players in the engine room by default or design this summer, with Korey Smith already departing and Jay Fulton, Yan Dhanda and Liam Walsh all likely to move on. Meanwhile, Flynn Downes will no doubt attract interest from Leeds United and others. Skipper Matt Grimes will always be an attractive target too. At 32, Allen would add experience to an inexperienced squad and we all know how good a player he can be on his day. The carrot of playing at the World Cup in November would surely motivate him further, should qualification be sealed.
On the flipside, Allen would represent a shift in transfer policy for Martin, who appears to want to sign players of a certain age and profile. Wages, too, would likely prove a bit of a stumbling block but Swansea will no doubt hope the lure of home would play into any decision Allen will make. However, if a player of Allen's calibre becomes available, and other areas of the squad are addressed as well, a move for him should be placed in the "no-brainer" category.
