Issues to sort as Martin saga drags on and on
IT’S been 19 days since news of Russell Martin’s ‘imminent’ Swansea City departure first broke.
Martin was previously expected to fly out the United States to meet the club’s owners, with talks over an extension to his current deal believed to be one of the key items on the agenda.
When it emerged Martin had stayed at home, the expectation was that a move to Southampton was likely to be wrapped up within a couple of days or so.
And yet, nearly three weeks later, and despite being understood to have agreed the move, Martin is still, officially speaking anyway, Swansea’s boss.
At the time of writing, there remains some level of dispute over the compensation package the Swans are entitled to, with Southampton doing their best to grab their man for the cheapest possible price.
Swansea believe Southampton made their approach was made when they were a Premier League club, and are therefore entitled to a compensation fee of around £1.75m, rather than the £1.25m for Championship clubs.
This is as outlined in the terms of Martin’s deal with the Swans, which still has one more year to run.
Perhaps it’s an unfair assessment, but with the suggestion that Southampton are now prepared to wait until their status as a Championship club in a bid to push through a cheaper move, the current discourse around this saga will lead some to conclude that the Swans are beginning to lose control of the narrative and working to the timeframe of others instead of dictating proceedings themselves.
The club would argue they are merely ensuring they get the best possible price for Martin, and with ‘tight’ remaining the default setting for the purse strings at SA1, it’s easy to understand why.
After all, that 500k could finance anything from plugging a gap in the balance sheet, to a new player or two.
Perhaps it could even go towards the compensation needed for a new boss.
For example, a move for John Eustace, the current bookies’ favourite, would certainly require chunk of cash to get done, and that’s before you get on to his demands, or even whether he’d want the job in the first place.
The same applies for Plymouth’s Steven Schumacher, another name tipped to be on the radar.
Perhaps out-of-work Chris Davies might now be the preferable option.
He’s certainly keen to spread his wings as a manager in his own right at some point.
But talk over a new boss is unlikely to gather any meaningful pace until Martin’s exit starts to move along.
Initial conversations have been held with possible successors, with Oscar Garcia and former USA boss Gregg Berhalter among those sounded out, although sources in SA1 and reports across the Atlantic have since indicated the latter is unlikely to be a real contender.
Names might well continue to be thrown around over the coming days, but at the moment the club’s entire summer trapped in a frustrating stasis, with the fans left starved of any real clarity on what’s really going on.
The proposed shake-of the club’s hierarchy is another prime example.
The lack of official communication around the departure of Julian Winter, the proposed arrival of Paul Watson, and the future of Josh Marsh, has allowed a potent cocktail of rumours and confusion to fester.
For what it’s worth, Winter has gone, Marsh is expected to stay, and Watson is still set to come in.
Then there’s the transfer window. Ryan Manning and Joel Latibeaudiere, key components of the Martin era, are expected to depart at the end of their contracts.
Loanees Luke Cundle and Matthew Sorinola, meanwhile, have gone back to their parent clubs, while the temptation to cash in on a couple of others could prove too great to ignore.
Striker Joel Piroe, who enjoyed another hugely successful season last term, has one year left on his current deal, meaning this could well be the last chance to cash in.
Indeed, he’s already understood to be attracting Premier League interest.
There’s also the possibility of Martin coming back to pinch a few of his most trusted lieutenants, with skipper Matt Grimes perhaps being the most likely candidate.
Morgan Whittaker, meanwhile, remains on the radar of Rangers.
Strengthening the squad is going to be essential this summer if Swansea are to compete next season, and the club simply have to get things right in this window if they are to build on the foundations laid by their outgoing boss.
It’s understood certain targets have already been drawn up, but the lack of clarity around the manager’s situation has proved problematic to pushing through any proposed plans.
The longer Martin’s exit drags on, the more difficult those efforts are likely to be - and the consequences could soon start to outweigh the £500k currently at stake.