Swansea City are firmly up and running in the transfer market.
Three new bodies are in through the door in the shapes of Nathan Wood, Wasiri Williams and Harry Darling, while Russell Martin's fourth signing of the summer is imminent, with Ben Blythe set to join from Doncaster Rovers.
He is expected to initially join Kris O'Leary's under-23s set-up, but Swansea have been true to chief executive Julian Winter's words so far this summer, ticking off their most pressing priorities first.
At a fans' forum last month, Winter revealed two centre-backs and a right wing-back were the targets, and with two of those now sorted, it will be the right side of defence which will be investigated further.
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But let's start right at the back. Andy Fisher will be Swansea's No.1 next season, with Martin a huge fan of the former MK Dons stopper. There have been a number of departures in the keeping department, with Ben Hamer gone, three leaving from the under-23s ranks and Steven Benda now surplus to requirements. Youngster Remy Mitchell is set to join from Arsenal at some point this summer but is more than likely to be added to the age-grade ranks, therefore we can expect more additions in the coming weeks.
In defence, hopes of bringing back Cyrus Christie to SA1 appear to be fading, with Preston North End seemingly in pole position to seal his signature. Christie is a free agent after his contract with Fulham expired and despite being keen on a return to south Wales, there has been little movement in recent times.
The arrivals of Darling and Wood will shake up the backline. The 22-year-old from Milton Keynes is a pretty much nailed-on starter, most probably taking the left position of a back three. Kyle Naughton is set to anchor the back three, and then it will be a toss up between Wood and Ben Cabango on the right. The latter - who is currently recovering from an ankle injury - came on leaps and bounds last season as he adjusted to Martin's intense methods, but by all accounts Wood is extremely comfortable on the ball. It will be interesting to see who the head coach plumps for when he experiments over the course of pre-season.
At left wing-back, Ryan Manning is the most qualified to play there at present, although Martin is a big fan of using the Republic of Ireland international in his back three. Nathanael Ogbeta has endured a slow start to life in Landore, not helped by the fact he arrived with a fairly significant injury. Blythe will bolster the left-sided ranks but like Mitchell, he is also believed to be heading to the under-23s first.
In the middle, Matt Grimes and Flynn Downes will be two of the first names on the teamsheet on the opening day of the season, with Martin keeping his fingers crossed neither attract transfer interest between now and September 1. A possible move for Joe Allen could shake things up a bit, but adding quality to a midfield department is surely a good headache to have.
Jamie Paterson is likely to keep hold of the keys in a creative role, assisted by Olivier Ntcham off the bench. Up top, Michael Obafemi is the man to lead the line, with Joel Piroe sitting slightly deeper, providing he stays.
As ever during a summer transfer window, plans are extremely fluid. A big-money offer for Downes or Piroe and Martin's blueprint for next season is blown apart. On the flipside, Swansea have been linked with a host of names in recent weeks and the loan market is likely to come into play later in the window. More twists and turns are on the way. But should Swansea keep this nucleus together, and add some further shrewd signings, akin to the calibre of Darling, they could raise some eyebrows next season.
Swansea City possible XI: Fisher; Cabango, Naughton, Darling; New RWB, Downes, Grimes, Manning; Paterson, Piroe; Obafemi.
