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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Ian Mitchelmore

The stark reality of Swansea City's financial position and the assets created to continue 'impressive' trend

Swansea City are now preparing for their sixth successive season in the Championship.

Parachute payments have come and gone, and the latest club accounts published on Companies House confirm the Swans continue to lose money, most recently to the tune of £13m in the latest financial year.

It has ensured the club has relied on what has been described as an "impressive" player trading model to operate in a sustainable manner.

READ MORE: Swansea City transfer news as Swans linked with League One star and Wolves loanee discusses future

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire pored through the numbers to discover that Swansea have made £200m profit from player trading over the last decade.

A significant factor in that figure has been down to the club having a negative net spend on transfers for each of the last five seasons, which typifies the drop off in income since relegation from the Premier League in 2018.

Flynn Downes' big money move to West Ham was the latest example of the club's ability to develop and sell players for hefty sums, and, despite the impending investment into Swansea City, Russell Martin may well see another prized asset move on in the summer.

So who exactly is in the frame to be sold should the club need to cash in on talent?

Martin has already publicly revealed he expects Joel Piroe to attract interest as a result of his two remarkable seasons in south Wales to date.

The Dutchman has netted 43 goals in 91 appearances since joining the Swans from PSV Eindhoven, although he is set to enter the final year of his contract in June.

The same applies to Nathan Wood whose development since signing from Middlesbrough has been mesmerising. As with Piroe, Martin has already openly stated he is under no illusions that Wood will have admirers.

Liam Cullen - who also finds himself heading into the final 12 months of his contract with the Swans this summer - has been linked with clubs including Celtic, Middlesbrough and Sunderland of late.

The Welshman's eight league goals this season have all come since the World Cup, and it's understandable that he may well crop up on the radar of Championship clubs.

Morgan Whittaker was the subject of fierce interest from Rangers in January while Championship-bound Plymouth Argyle will almost certainly mention the name of the 22-year-old when it comes to planning ahead for their first season in the second tier since 2009/10.

The Swans are in a far stronger position with the likes of Ben Cabango and Ollie Cooper who have long-term deals with the club, although Liam Walsh and Olivier Ntcham are among others who are entering the last year of their contracts and could attract a glancing eye from potential suitors.

The club's model is one that is ultimately frustrating for supporters given the difficulty of keeping a young crop of exciting prospects together for a prolonged period of time.

Nevertheless, while out of the top-flight, it's a blueprint that has become a necessity, and one that the Swans have actually had great success with given their playing style and willingness to put faith in youth.

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