Russell Martin is keen to lead Swansea City further up the table next year following a 15th place finish last season although the interest surrounding some of their key players has put a doubt on how the team might look.

The club recently lost midfielder Flynn Downes to West Ham which comes as a blow for the team after he made 37 league appearances for the Swans last season.

However, with the deal being worth £9million with the potential to increase with add-ons, it has certainly given Martin's side a boost in one aspect that could help them out as they approach the new season.

When asked if the sale could help the club, the manager told Wales Online: "I think so. The amount we got for Flynn, it's a real positive for everyone. Obviously we're disappointed to lose Flynn because he's brilliant.

"But it's a brilliant return for the club, if you look at it as a financial return and what he did on the pitch. He got a dream move to a club he supported as a kid. So really, while you're disappointed to lose him in terms of performance, I think it's only a positive.

"Hopefully they'll be more success stories like that. I've said all the way along that the most beautiful thing would be for us all to get there [the Premier League] together. If that doesn't happen, [the aim] it's to enable loads of others to get there and make sure this club is stable financially."

Following Joel Piroe's impressive season last year, in which he scored 22 goals in 45 league appearances, he is another player who had been attracting interest this summer from teams including Watford and Leicester City.

However, the sale of Downes could prove to be helpful in their bid to keep hold of the club's top scorer as well as giving them funds to reinvest.

According to Wales Online, Swansea would be looking at a bid of £18million - £20million to be convinced to sell Piroe this summer and due to the incoming money from Downes' departure, it means that the Swans are able to reject bids that fall below their valuation without feeling as though they're missing out.

 

 

The Verdict: 

As Russell Martin says, of course losing Downes is a blow to the team given how well he has performed for them but financially, it is a real boost and could be the difference for Swansea next season as they are not left to replace the bulk of the goals in the side.

Coming into the summer, it looked as though either one of the two star players from Swansea could depart but given the deal they got through for the midfielder, they are now in a strong position regarding Piroe's future, especially with the player under contract until 2024.

Furthermore, with that sum of money into the club now, Russell Martin will be hoping he will be able to invest further if and when he needs to, in the hope of trying to progress to the top flight without losing too many core members of the squad along the way.