With almost exactly a month to go until the 2022/23 season gets under way, Swansea City are far better positioned to attack the new campaign than they were the previous one.
A shambolic summer which saw Steve Cooper leave late on and John Eustace perform a significant U-turn meant Russell Martin joined the club just six days before their league opener at Blackburn Rovers. A combination of Covid-19 issues, a lack of preparation time on the training ground and limited scope in the transfer market ensured Swansea found the going tough in the early weeks under their current head coach.
Indeed, the Swans won just one of their opening eight Championship games last season, failing to score in three of those outings and claiming just seven of the first 24 points on offer. But as a result of their far more stable summer along with their transitional season last time out, they are better placed to hit the ground running from the outset this time around.
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Nathan Wood was drafted in to provide extra competition in defence while Harry Darling was remarkably brought in from MK Dons amid fierce interest from elsewhere. The Swans will pay Martin's former side a fee of £1.4m - staggered over three years - plus potential add-ons for the defender, who was described as Swansea's "number-one target" of the summer to WalesOnline following the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign.
There were real fears they would lose the race to sign the 22-year-old, with Burnley close to clinching a deal for the man who was included in the League One Team of the Year, although Darling's relationship with Martin shone through as the club sanctioned a deal.
It was a similar story with the arrival of Matty Sorinola who joined on loan for the season from Union SG. The versatile left wing-back had been expected to join Huddersfield Town until the Swans swooped for his signature.
It represents another significant coup for the Swans while it serves as proof their playing style is a real attraction, with players including Flynn Downes, Cyrus Christie and Jamie Paterson citing as much when they moved to south Wales. Crucially, the business can give the club's owners plenty of hope - particularly given some of the woeful dealings in the latter stages of the Swans' seven-year stay in the Premier League.
Martin has proven he can create assets, with Downes and Joel Piroe likely to command sums of around or upwards of 10 times what Swansea paid for them after just one year under the current coaching staff. Michael Obafemi, Ben Cabango and Joel Latibeaudiere are among others to impress and would undoubtedly attract decent fees.
And should they have any kind of concerns, the top brass at the Swansea.com Stadium only need to see the profits made by MK Dons chairman Pete Winkelman of late following the sales of players including Andy Fisher, Harry Darling and Scott Twine, stars Martin helped to develop at Stadium MK. Even Matt O'Riley, one of the ones that got away, is now set to play Champions League football having just won a league title with Celtic in addition to earning a call-up to the Denmark Under-21 squad.
Following what was a brutal summer, and one that was pushed back following Swansea's involvement in the play-offs in May 2021, the ducks are aligned far better this time out. Yes, there is more work to be done in the market and yes, there will undoubtedly be some tough news ahead for the Jack Army as the club continue to balance the books through player exits.
But there is far more expectancy ahead of the trip to Rotherham United on July 30 than there was for that eye-opening clash with Blackburn at Ewood Park just shy of a week after Martin was appointed as boss.
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