Swansea City sporting director Mark Allen says it's "critical" that the club move away from loan signings and focus more on permanent deals in the absence of parachute payments.
In recent years Swansea have enjoyed a number of loan signing successes, especially under former boss Steve Cooper's watch. The likes of Conor Gallagher, Rhian Brewster, Marc Guehi and Freddie Woodman were all brought to SA1 and played key parts in play-off challenges.
With the changing of the guard in the Swansea dugout and the fact that Premier payments have now stopped, Allen feels it is crucial that clubs look to sign young players on long-term deals instead. The likes of Joel Piroe and Flynn Downes are perfect examples of that mantra. Martin and his staff were out on scouting missions this weekend - you can read more about that here.
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Allen also revealed that summer recruitment plans are already well under way. “I think it is critical to a club,” said Allen, who has also worked at Manchester City and Rangers. “Championship football is very different to Premier League football, and there will always be an element of having to trade players.
“We have made no secret of that in the past, and we will make no secret of it moving forward. It is about realising the players who can help us get up the league, but also developing assets who could help the club economically. We are always mindful of those things, but the strategy is to identify young up and coming players and to purchase them where possible.
“We have had some successes with that this season and long may it continue, we are already out there looking at the next batch, if you like. It’s there for all to see that revenues in the Championship are a lot lower than the Premier League, and it is a league where there is a significant drop in revenue.
“So your money has to go a bit further, and that means we have to be prudent in terms of what we do in the transfer window for incomings and outgoings. Your funds have to work hard, that is a challenge I enjoy and one I experienced at Rangers.
“It means your planning has to be advanced, and you have to be ready early to secure the best deals that may be out there. The process is always ongoing and it never stops, and Russell and I have already had a lot of discussions about where we want to go and potential targets.
“You also need that bit of experience and know-how, those wise old heads like a Kyle Naughton - who made his 250th appearance recently and looks like he could go on forever. It is critical to the balance of the squad, and the task for Russ and myself is to make sure that balance is right.”
It has been a season of transition in Landore for Swansea under Martin, something which was outlined at the start of his tenure. Patience has been the buzzword on the training field and in the stands, with the majority of supporters on board with what the head coach is trying to implement. There have been some tough moments along the way, but also signs of encouragement, and Allen says the club is where he expected them to be at this moment in time.
“I think overall, I am not surprised at where we find ourselves, I think the challenges have been there for everyone to see,” added Allen.
“We are in a stage of transition with the team and with the style of play. Like all things, including my experiences at Manchester City and Rangers, that transition means there are good things and there are things you would like to improve on. We are no different to that. Russell and I can see where we would like to make improvements, but there is also a lot of good stuff that has happened.
“So, for me personally, this is broadly where I would expect us to be in a period of transition. We should not be shy to mention the fact that, in the world of finance and economics, if you have not got vast sums of money to spend immediately then those changes may come over two, three or maybe four (transfer) windows.
“It takes that to be able to build something towards where you feel you are getting near to the finished product. Certainly, from my previous experiences, that was very much the case. It was probably more so at Rangers, which was more recent and relevant. It was a three or four window process to get to the point where the team was ready to go and win the league.”
