Southampton received plenty of praise for their unexpected seventh place finish last season, but Swansea City, who were much less lauded, were only four points off Saints in eighth position.

Perhaps the fact more people weren’t heralding the Welsh outfit’s top half finish is a measure of their astounding progress in recent seasons. Indeed, manager Garry Monk has done tremendously to build on the work done by his predecessors and Swans will go into this season with a realistic chance of finishing in a European spot.

The work done in the window has also been excellent, with the club investing the vast sum recouped from the sale of Wilfried Bony in very astute fashion. On the cusp of the campaign getting underway, every facet of the squad seems to be in fine working order.

Monk has won many admirers with his style of management, maintaining Swansea’s effervescent style while adding a dash of defensive steel. But Swansea is a club which shows a perennial intent to move forward and as such, the expectations to keep improving will not cease, regardless of the effort they put in last season.

 

Best XI

 

Reasons to be Positive

The core of this team looks exceptional. Lukasz Fabianski is one of the league’s most underrated goalkeepers, Ashley Williams remains rock solid and Gylfi Sigurdsson is a top quality creator. Even up front, the void left by Bony’s departure hasn’t been felt too harshly, with Bafetimbi Gomis looking as though he can step up to the plate.

There’s been quality added to the fringes as well. The fact Andre Ayew chose to join Swansea ahead of a lot of other quality outfits is a measure of the burgeoning gravitas the club has, while Franck Tabanou could be one of the bargains of the summer at left-back. The rumbustious Eder will also give Gomis some competition up top.

 

Reasons to be Negative

For a team so good in possession, it might seem peculiar to say the midfield looks a little light. Jack Cork and Ki Sung-yueng are both fine manipulators of the ball, but if Swansea are to bridge the gap to the top six teams, they’re going to need an enforcing, defensively-minded presence in that area of the field too.

Gomis is not quite as refined an option as Bony at the point of the attack either. The Frenchman showed flashes of top quality in his debut season rather than sustained consistency and Monk will need his all-round game to be much more reliable if Swansea are to better their 2014-15 season.

 

 

Key Player – Gylfi Sigurdsson

The player that struggled the most after the departure of Bony was Sigurdsson. The Icelandic international struck up a wonderful relationship with the now Manchester City forward and it was tough for him to settle into a groove in 2015. But there’s no denying his fundamental footballing intelligence, set piece prowess and ability to conjure chances.

Sigurdsson should relish operating as the creative fulcrum of this team and will relish the dynamism around him in players such as Gomis and Ayew. If he can strike up new links with the club’s other vibrant attacking players, Swansea’s offensive play will be a real joy to watch throughout the campaign.

 

Prediction – 7th

Swansea have all the credentials to be this season’s surprise package. They’ve invested well, brought players in early and because they finished eighth, will not have to contend with the added strain of Europa League football. As such, expect this group to fly out of the blocks and build infectious impetus.

Monk is a manager that’s learning all the time and he’ll have been meticulous in his planning for this season. The Swans won’t have enough to muscle in on the top six, but with the start of the season looming large, they’re well placed to be the best of the rest.

 

Expert Opinion – Christopher Harris (World Soccer Talk)

Ever since Swansea got promoted to the Premier League in the summer of 2011, I’ve had to deal with the same predictions from pundits and soccer fans every summer for four consecutive years — that Swansea would be one of the favorites to get relegated. And every summer, I would offer the same response: “Swansea will be safe because they have the playing system that will ensure they stay up.” Now after Swansea’s best-ever Premier League finish in 2014/15, I – for the first time — don’t expect to hear anyone predicting that Swansea will get relegated this season.

That Swansea has established itself as a semi-permanent club in the Premier League is, by itself, a huge achievement. If ever there was a club in the league that has embodied how best to run a club, it’s the Swans. Even aside from that, I’m feeling the most confident I have about Swansea’s chances this upcoming season than I ever have.

The key to Swansea’s success this season will be ensuring that Bafetimbi Gomis continues to score and that Eder settles in quickly as a goalscoring threat coming off the bench for the Swans. Both should do well, but until they find the back of the net, there’s always that doubt in the back of my mind.

Elsewhere on the pitch, the area that needed the greatest strengthening was the full back positions. Swansea signed St Etienne left back Franck Tabanou to give Neil Taylor competition for his place. And last season’s signing of Kyle Naughton will give Angel Rangel a run for his money.

While it’ll be difficult for Swansea to rise above their 8th place finish, they will be competitive and will continue to be a team worthy of support from neutral fans looking for a team to be proud of.

 

Follow Matt on Twitter @MattJFootball