Russell Martin cut a frustrated figure as he unpacked Swansea City's 2-0 defeat to Luton Town.
The head coach has been eager to add to his squad options but laid bare the club's current situation when facing the media in his post-match press conference at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Martin revealed the reasons behind Joel Piroe's poor form so far this season while he confirmed the Swans need to sell a key asset to bring in any more players before the 11pm transfer deadline on Thursday, September 1.
He held talks with the club's ownership group on Friday with a view to determining whether or not he could bring in new recruits while also finding a replacement for Joel Latibeaudiere who is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after dislocating his shoulder in the 2-2 draw with Millwall.
And when asked about the ambition of the owners for the season ahead, Martin simply responded: "Improve on last season and create assets that help the club become sustainable, I presume. That’s where we are at. That’s why I tried to be realistic with the expectation in the summer."
Saturday's contest with Nathan Jones' men highlighted Swansea's lack of squad depth in all its glory. Despite having key injuries, Luton had experienced Championship players such as Cameron Jerome and Cauley Woodrow on their bench while Swansea's replacements were - aside from Jay Fulton and Kyle Naughton - largely inexperienced.
“I would love to have a bit more," admitted Martin. "It makes it tougher, if you look at what Hannes [Wolf] and Cyrus [Christie] added to us in January. We probably don’t have as much as depth as everyone else."
And then came the blunt but simple assessment. "As it stands, unless we sell anyone, this is what we have got," added Martin.
Following positive displays against Blackpool and Millwall, the frustration among the Jack Army re-emerged during the loss to Luton as Swansea failed to turn their dominance of the ball into a performance that yielded clear goal-scoring opportunities.
And the club's overall position has perhaps been laid bare in recent weeks following the early season optimism.
“I am always really honest with you. That is the situation. You, the fans, myself, the players, we have two choices – you have a choice to get frustrated by it and let that frustration take over, or you have a choice to get behind everything that’s going on and people that want to be here who are working so hard to bring the club the success they want," added Martin.
“We came when not many others wanted to take on the challenge. We are spending less than we have for a very long time – people at the club might get upset with me saying that, but I am the only guy that ever talks to you and I will talk to you honestly."
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