Only time will tell if Carvalhal has the right recipe for the Swans to survive
FOR all the Liberty talk of reclaiming the Swansea Way, Carlos Carvalhal made it clear he wanted it his way during Swansea City’s January transfer window.
And the Portuguese boss was backed to make it happen, with club chiefs hoping it will be enough for him to charismatically continue his superb start to life in south Wales.
Carvalhal has already overseen a change in mood at the Swans after collecting 10 points from his first five Premier League fixtures, enough to move them out of the bottom three until Wednesday night’s fixtures. Early days, but his aggressive positivity has made its mark.
For some time, though, the club’s January business has been seen as make or break to Swansea’s chances of staying out of the relegation troubles.
On the face of it, the departure of one major summer signing in the shape of Roque Mesa’s loan move to Sevilla, and the deadline day arrivals of Andre Ayew and – somewhat surprisingly – Andy King has done little to convince some that enough has been done to strengthen the squad sufficiently.
Yet Carvalhal is thought to have been given the chance to have done more, or at least done it differently – and opted against it.
The man who talked about signings like seafood was clear what he wanted on the menu, with club chiefs happy with his choice.
It is thought Swansea had some targets identified and lined up heading into January following discussions with then manager Paul Clement, some being more advanced than others, with full-backs and attacking alternatives the among them.
However, the change in manager before Christmas brought about a change of plans when Carvalhal gave his views on the existing squad and those mentioned as potential new recruits.
It appears his talk of only wanting quality was more than lip service, expressing a contentment with the balance of his squad, even if this something some supporters may have questioned.
Carvalhal is said to have made it clear he would prefer the January budget to have been utilised on one or two bigger hitters, rather than accept what could be quickly tied up.
Though still working in Swansea’s – recently criticised – recruitment set-up of co-operation between board, scouting chief and manager, it shows a strength of character not associated with some of the previous incumbents of the Swansea dug-out on the transfer front. Indeed, it is something some at the club felt was necessary to achieve a stronger, more harmonious approach.
It is thought it led to early frustrations, certainly in terms of having to start afresh with time already ticking down towards the deadline, and then with the difficulties in trying to land the big catches Carvalhal was wanting to fish for.
Through the use of super agent Jorge Mendes, Atletico Madrid pair Kevin Gameiro and Nicolas Gaitan were targeted, while Carvalhal was also keen on Ayew once it became known a deal with West Ham could be a possibility.
Though it falls into the category of targeting former players, a subject of criticism, various sources stress this was Carvalhal’s choice.
Carvalhal’s strength of feeling, coupled with his early impact on the training ground and in matches, is thought to have led majority shareholders Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien to green-light spending beyond the initial £20m budget if it meant landing two players of the calibre in Swansea’s sights.
It is believed a fee for Gameiro was agreed with Atleti, though the France striker could not be persuaded to enter into further discussions. There was greater hope over Atletico’s Argentina winger and creative midfielder Gaitan who, like Gameiro, had been told by Diego Simeone he could leave Madrid.
It is thought personal terms with the agent were agreed for Gaitan, which would have seen him become Swansea’s highest-paid player, only for him to then back out of the deal when it came to the crunch.
Carvalhal publicly hinted at the difficulties being faced, repeating after the win against Arsenal that players were being understandably put off by the club’s risky position at the foot of the Premier League. A deal to try and tempt Ajax’s German international winger Younes Amin hit similar buffers. There had been loan interest in Everton striker Sandro before he opted for Sevilla, while Russia captain and Krasnodar striker Fedor Smolov was also linked.
But there remained an eagerness to bring Ayew back to South Wales, with Carvalhal said to be determined to push for the 29-year-old who was a target regardless of the talks with the Atletico duo.
Though his West Ham wages had initially been a problem, it is thought the deal has been structured to bring him more into line with the Swansea salary structure.
There is said to be an acceptance that the club record fee of £18m was perhaps over the odds for the Ghana international, but with time ticking down, he ticked the boxes Carvalhal had set out and provided that extra attacking edge across positions, while also having Premier League