Julian Winter admits the sale of Flynn Downes to West Ham United strengthened Swansea City's financial position sufficiently enough to keep hold of Joel Piroe and Michael Obafemi.
Midfielder Downes joined boyhood club West Ham for an initial £9m in July in a deal that could rise up to £14m with add-ons. However, Russell Martin faced the prospect of losing his key strikers Obafemi and Piroe on deadline day, with Burnley and Leeds United respectively showing an interest.
Swansea rejected offers from the Clarets for Obafemi while they rebuffed interest shown by Leeds in Piroe. And chief executive Winter says the loan additions of young guns such as Armstrong Oko-Flex, Luke Cundle and Fin Stevens ensures the club can remain financially stable.
LIVE UPDATES: Swansea City v Queens Park Rangers match updates
"I’d like to start my programme notes by talking about the summer transfer window, which I feel has been a very positive one for the football club," he wrote.
"We did some really good early business, bringing in Nathan Wood, Harry Darling, Joe Allen and Matty Sorinola – three of which were permanent deals and two involving transfer fees.
"We’ve also been able to add three other loan players in the shape of Luke Cundle, Armstrong Oko-Flex and Fin Stevens – all of whom will bring something different to the playing squad in key positions.
"Meanwhile, we kept hold of two key players in Joel Piroe and Michael Obafemi. It was well documented that we received offers for Michael, however these fell well below our valuation.
"We are also in a position where we didn’t need to undersell because of the sale of Flynn earlier in the window, but both players are integral to our plans.
"Russell spoke in his pre-match press conference about the fact we finished the day stronger than we started, and that is a good outcome. We have always been committed to giving young players an opportunity, and bringing in individuals that fit our style and culture, while off the pitch we continue to work hard against the challenges of being financially sustainable and not jeopardise the long-term position of the club.
"Like with many businesses currently, we are facing rising costs in line with inflation which have a knock on effect into our day-to-day operations across all departments, and we have to be sensible in our decision-making processes."
Piroe and Obafemi are both set to be included in the matchday squad as Swansea host Queens Park Rangers on Saturday afternoon.
You can follow updates from the match at the Swansea.com Stadium right here.
READ NEXT:
