Laudrup To Have £15m Summer Transfer Budget?

Wales Online today report that Michael Laudrup will be given a £15m transfer budget this Summer to strengthen the squad.

If the new Swansea City manager was to spend his full budget, the club would have spent more money this Summer alone than in the previous 19 years. Between 1992 and 2011, the Swans spent just £14m on players, compared to the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea - all spending in excess of £500m in that same time period.

Considering the board's strict budgets ever since they took over 9 years ago, it goes to show the ambition they have following their promotion to the Premier League. Chairman Huw Jenkins is now looking for the club to become an established top flight side, and while £15m will seem like petty cash to the top teams, to us it's a big deal.

Laudrup said he's been watching a lot of Swansea City's matches from last season on DVD as he assesses his squad and looks at what areas need strengthening this Summer. He'll be aware that key players last season - loanees - Steven Caulker and Gylfi Sigurdsson are unlikely to return and they'll need replacing. Sigurdsson looks set to agree terms with Liverpool, while Caulker's situation is in the air following Harry Redknapp's departure from Tottenham Hotspur.

What players and what areas of the squad need strengthening? Let us know in our message forum here

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