Newly promoted Swansea City are preparing for life in the most difficult league in world football, but Brendan Rodgers has vowed not to abandon the footballing philosophy that has taken the Welsh club this far.
Transfer activity has been rife in South Wales with several new players set to join the squad for preseason this month, but there are still areas in the team that need strengthening if they are to compete in the Premier League.
The Swans boss started the summer off well, in acquiring the services of former Watford striker, Danny Graham in a £3.5 million deal which saw the striker reject overtures from several other clubs.
The 25-year-old was in prolific form last season with an impressive 24 goals in the Championship and is set to be the main man in the Swans attack.
Ever since the departure of Jason Scotland two years ago, Swansea City have struggled to find a striker to spearhead the 4-3-3 formation they utilise.
Franco Borini came in on loan from Chelsea in the second half of last season and filled the void but sadly moved back to his homeland at the start of summer to complete a move to Serie A side, Parma.
Rodgers was left with no other choice but to try and find his replacement.
Danny Graham is that replacement and a fine one at that. The former Carlisle man is a born goal scorer and will feed off the service of Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer but is of course, still unproven at Premier League level.
Tottenham youngster, Steven Caulker, who spent last season on loan with Bristol City is also set to join the club. The 19-year-old defender is being touted as an England player of the future and will be hoping to gain some invaluable Premier League experience at the Liberty Stadium.
Reports are also picking up pace that England Under-21, Ryan Bertrand could be set to join the Jacks, with the Chelsea left-back poised to sign on a season-long loan deal.
Another man linked with a move to the first Welsh side in English Premier League history was former Spain captain and Villareal veteran, Marcos Senna.
The 34-year-old held talks with the club, but it sadly seems as though the midfield powerhouse will be staying in La Liga after a breakdown in negotiations over wage demands.
This move by Brendan Rodgers was a clear indication of his desire to build on their reputation as the best footballing side in the Championship and take that style of play into the Premier League.
Senna is like Patrick Vieira in that he is strong in midfield and helps to dictate the game from there, which would work well with the likes of Leon Britton and Joe Allen to play off him.
Rodgers likes his team to build on the philosophy instilled by Roberto Martinez and play a style of football reminiscent of Barcelona and the Spanish national team, and Marcos Senna would have been a key figure in the development of the team and their footballing style.
Rodgers is still determined to bring some of that Spanish flair to the club and has targeted Barcelona B striker, Jonathan Soriano as his next purchase.
The 25-year-old striker has been in negotiations with the club after finishing last season as top scorer in Spain’s second tier. The 26-goal man is keen to make the move to Wales and compete in the top flight of English football but a fee is still yet to be discussed between the two clubs.
This signing would be another clear indication of the club to not sell out on their footballing principles, as they look to show off their beautiful passing game in the world’s most watched league.
The transfer window still has a long way to go and there will be more analysis of their activity in due course, but for now, it looks as though Swansea City are keen to build on their Barcelona style philosophy as they attempt to play their way to Premier League survival.
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