On the pitch
Star man: With Gylfi Sigurdsson likely to be taking his deadly set pieces and Icelandic invention off to Everton, Swansea can ill afford to lose Fernando Llorente to Chelsea. The 32-year-old was one of two Spanish forwards who arrived at the Liberty Stadium last summer but unlike Borja Bastón, the £15.5m flop who has been banished to Málaga on loan, Llorente has proven to be a good fit in England. The Spanish Nat Lofthouse’s 15 goals were crucial in the successful fight against relegation.
Biggest summer buy: Roque Mesa sports a moustache that makes him look as if he’s gone to a fancy dress party as Gomez Addams, but there is a good reason for the £11m Spaniard’s wispy facial hair – the 28-year-old has told his wife that he won’t be shaving it off until he receives an international call-up. That’s up to Julen Lopetegui but the former Las Palmas midfielder could soon be reaching for the razor given that he had a 91.4% pass completion rate in La Liga last season.
Breakthrough season: Excitement over a young Chelsea striker fresh from a dazzling Championship loan? Sounds familiar. But while it’s important to keep in mind the Bamford Principle, Tammy Abraham looks ready for the Premier League. The 19-year-old scored 26 goals for Bristol City last season and impressed for England Under-21s in the summer.
Bad boy: The Swans are quite a mild-mannered bunch, although Jordan Ayew once got sent off for Aston Villa for a ludicrous elbow on West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell.
Boo boy: The position’s up for grabs now that Borja’s gone. Luciano Narsingh, a Dutch winger signed for £4m from PSV in January, is a possible contender for the role after a slow start to life in the Premier League.
Destination Russia: Federico Fernández made four appearances for Argentina at the last World Cup and the 28-year-old centre-back has been a consistent performer since joining Swansea in 2014.
Glass half-full: Mestachio will make everyone forget about the Gylfi gut-wrencher. Alfie Mawson’s the new JT. Llorente will keep banging them in off his bonce.
Glass half-empty: They won’t make any chances without Sigurdsson and only stayed up last time round because everyone else was so rubbish.
Off the pitch
The manager: Despite having the demeanour of a hired goon in a daytime ITV drama, Paul Clement is a thoughtful tactician. From Ronaldo to Routledge, Carlo Ancelotti’s former assistant is regarded as an innovative coach by his players and he performed wonders to keep Swansea up after replacing Bob Bradley. If Clement proves himself over the course of a full season, he’ll probably be linked with the England job even if his surname looks suspiciously French.
The owners: The club’s American owners got there in the end last year but only after the disastrous appointment of Coach Bob. The jury’s out. Stability is required.
Kevin Elphick’s fan’s view: I’m not as pessimistic as this time last year. We’ve a much better management team but Sigurdsson’s delayed exit is frustrating as new signings depend on it. We’re still two or three players short. Prediction: 14th. Follow Kevin at swansea.vitalfootball.co.uk