Players Paul Clement Should Look to Keep: Part Two

Earlier this week we brought you the five Swans’ players that the club must hold on to and today we’re bringing you our second list of players.

Gylfi Sigurdsson, Tom Carroll, Martin Olsson, Alfie Mawson and Jack Cork headed that list but who will feature in today’s list?

Club stalwart Leon Britton simply must stay. The 34-year-old may have been limited to just 18 appearances last season but since he was restored to the side towards the end of last season, the Jacks took 13 points from five games, winning four and drawing one, a respectable point away to Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. That cannot go un-noted and his presence undoubtedly influenced that unbeaten run.

Prior to Britton’s arrival back in the squad, the Swans lacked speed in both their attacking and passing departments, watching the side trying to counter was beyond painful and any seemingly promising attacks were short-lived due to a sheer lack of clinical passing. However, Britton on the other hand, came in and once again demonstrated his ability to move ball around quickly and efficiently, linking up perfectly with Carroll. And not only is he great to have on the pitch, his off the field influence can also not go unnoticed, he’s a great head to have in the dressing room and we hope to see him hang up his boots at the Liberty having resided in South Wales for some 14-years.

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Ki Sung-Yueng is a player who received mixed opinions and the South Korean international was the subject of interest from a number of Chinese clubs in January, however, rather than cash in on the midfielder, he should remain at the club. Granted, off the ball, Ki isn’t great and is far from the strongest or most physical player in the middle of the park but his passing attributes are second to none and he is the man who can make things happen. If you pardon the pun, he’s essentially the man with the keys, he can unlock attacks and support the forward line.

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Another player Swansea should definitely retain, despite having a slow start, is Jordan Ayew. In the final few weeks of the Premier League campaign, the forward went from bit-part player to unsung hero. His Swans career was kicked off with a run of substitute appearances, the majority of which saw his teammates hoof the ball to him – great for 6ft4 Fernando Llorente, not so great for 5ft9 Ayew.

A change in system fell in Ayew’s favour, Paul Clement’s decision to switch with two strikers and a midfield diamond drastically changed the Jacks’ fate. Having two strikers allowed for a more versatile game plan and it mean the team was not too over reliant on Llorente’s frame, but could use it if needed. Ayew’s pace and ability to run the passage helped Clement’s side to widen their horizons, allowing them much more room for creativity in midfield.

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In defence, Frederico Fernandez should be retained, whether it’s as a squad player or key player. Clement does need to add a centre-back to his ranks and Raul Albiol has been linked (that’s a story for another day), but Fernandez has proved his worth at the Liberty. The Argentinian formed an impressive partnership with Mawson and was part of that watertight defence that helped the Swans on that unbeaten run to clinch survival, conceding just two goals in five games.