A number of Swansea players could be heading for the exit door this summer as new manager Michael Laudrup wants to have a squad of 22.
Swansea manager does not want to carry more than 22 players
A number of Swansea players could be heading for the exit door this summer as new manager Michael Laudrup wants to have a squad of 22.
There are currently 34 professionals at the Liberty Stadium, although nine of those have progressed from the youth ranks and have limited first-team experience.
Laudrup insisted at his first news conference that he wanted to have a close look at the squad he had inherited and would not be making wholesale changes, but it appears there could be several departures.
"Michael only wants to carry 22 players, so we need to free up space," chairman Huw Jenkins is quoted as saying in the
Daily Express.
Erik Larsen, Laudrup's long-term assistant who will be joining him in Wales for the start of the new season, says it makes sense to have a streamlined squad.
While Larsen insists Laudrup will be flexible and add to the squad if needed, he believes that trimming the playing staff to 22 will ensure standards remain high.
"Michael thinks that it is the best number in terms of how to get the best out of training every day," Larsen told the
South Wales Evening Post.
Appropriate
"It's a question of quality, intensity, how to organise the training and how things should be done. It's entirely practical.
"There will always be some restrictions if you are too few, but, especially in smaller clubs, if you have one too many people, it decreases the quality.
"You must always have high-quality training to prepare you for matches.
"It's the number he thinks is most appropriate, but it's not set in stone.
"It's not the case that there's only room for 22. These things develop so if someone gets injured you can add more."
