[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ince being promoted to the Premier League, Swansea City have been an exciting team to watch and a tough side to play against – holding their own in England’s top tier.
Last season saw the Liberty Stadium outfit under the most threat of relegation since their promotion, but the Welsh outfit were relatively comfortable in avoiding the drop in the end up after the appointment of Francesco Guidolin.
With the Italian manager now handed the job on a permanent basis, one void in his squad that he must fill is the absence of a proven goalscorer.
Swansea have played with a lone striker since their promotion, with the pre-requisites to fulfil this position including the ability to hold the ball up, an aerial presence and to bring others into the game.
Danny Graham was an able asset in the role under Brendan Rodgers, while Wilfried Bony took the team to the next level with his powerful showings in South Wales.
Since the Ivory Coast international’s sale to Manchester City, Swansea have struggled to find a player that can emulate his unique skillset and the overall threat of this attack-minded side has diminished to some extent as a result.
Bafétimbi Gomis has shown that on his day he is a real handful and the French forward started last season in good form.
However, he is too prone to inconsistency and rumblings over his future with the Swans continue to circulate, despite the fact that he is the best option in attack that the club currently possess.
The versatile André Ayew can play as the furthest man forward but is more effective operating in a deeper role, while Marvin Emnes is unproven at this level.
Others have been brought to the club in a bid to solve the problem position, but none have succeeded.
Portuguese forward Éder may well have scored the winning goal in this summer’s Euro 2016 tournament in France, but the former Braga man was afforded little playing time at Swansea and has since been offloaded to Lille.
Alberto Paloschi showed glimpses of ability in his time in England, but the Italian has been sent back to his homeland after only six months, with a mere two goals for the men in white to show for his efforts.
Strikers that can guarantee a steady flow of goals are in sparse supply and come with considerable price tags, but the Swansea fans will surely urge the club to make moves in this summer’s transfer market if they are to avoid the bottom third of the table in 2016-17.
Bringing Bony back has been discussed in some quarters but not materialised, while a host of other names have been mentioned as possible targets.
For any new addition to Guidolin’s squad, it seems like an ideal situation.
With little or no competition for a starting spot, the new striker would have the guile of Gylfi Sigurðsson, pace of Jefferson Montero and energy of Ayew as accompanying attacking personnel.
It remains to be seen who will lead the line for the Swans come the opening day of the season, but the brains trust at the progressive Welsh side need to come up with a solution if the side are to continue to flex their muscles in the top flight.