Swansea City January transfer dossier: Paul Clement faces uphill task to rebuild fortunes

Paul Clement may have got off to the perfect start just hours after being confirmed as the new Swansea City manager, with victory at Crystal Palace, but the hard work starts now for the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich assistant. Clement arrives with a good reputation from overseas, yet questions remain after his premature departure from Derby County.

If Clement can exploit any of the contacts or relationships he will have made during spells in Spain and Germany then he should be able to bring plenty of fresh blood into a Swansea squad is among the weakest in the top flight. The south Wales side have trod water in recent years and a proposed cash injection, which could see £30m invested according to The Daily Mirror, is clearly needed to retain their top-flight status.

What they need

With the Premier League's worst defence, Swansea's problems are painstakingly obvious for all to see. A back-four that regularly includes Jordi Amat, Federico Fernandez and Kyle Naughton is in dire need of surgery, while goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has finally been found out at Premier League level.

Goals are not as much of a problem but perhaps some variety in attack might be needed. Fernando Llorente and Borja Baston offer a very similar threat, so perhaps a forward with a lower centre of gravity and some pace could give Swansea the additional dimension they have lacked.

Who could join?

Before Clement was appointed, The Daily Telegraph had linked potential arrival Harry Redknapp with a move for Chelsea captain John Terry. Perhaps more realistic is a move for Serbian Aleksandar Mitrovic, who may swap Newcastle United for the Liberty Stadium, according to The Express.

Ashley Young is viewed a potential answer to Swansea's lack of pace in a central position claim The Sun, while an unlikely signing could come in the form of Davie Selke from RB Leipzig, according to The Daily Mail – though West Ham and Everton are also interested.

Who could leave?

Despite the goals having dried up of late – just four in the last five – Jefferson Montero continues to be overlooked and hasn't made consecutive Premier League starts all season. Relegated rivals Hull City are interested if they lose Robert Snodgrass, according to The Daily Mirror. West Brom have been linked with a move for Fernandez, according to the Birmingham Mail.

Gylfi Sigurdsson is set to remain at Swansea after claims he handed in a transfer request were denied by sources close to the midfielder, according to BBC Wales. The Iceland international has played every game for the Swans this term, grabbing five goals and making six assists.

What the manager has said

With Clement having only just been installed, chairman Huw Jenkins has taken charge of outlining the cub's January plans. He said, via BBC Sport: "Looking back over the last 12 months, it's plain to see that things have not gone well. We all know that it's been a tough time and our players, in particular, have had to cope with a lot of changes on and off the field.

"The January transfer window can provide us with the platform and timing to not only strengthen our first- team squad, but to bring everyone and everything together to stamp some lost belief and clarity on and off the field going forward."