Swansea City’s shortcomings in January 2023 eventually invited Southampton raid | OneFootball

Swansea City's January 2023 transfer window cost them dearly

Swansea City have had their fair share of January transfer window disasters in recent seasons, but the events that unfolded in 2023 might just top the lot.

Swansea were having a decent season under Russell Martin in the Championship, and despite being up against sides with far deeper pockets, they were in the mix for the play-off places come January.

However, they had started to falter after the break for the World Cup, and it was clear that they needed reinforcements for their small squad if they were to sustain a play-off place.

What unfolded was a farcical month which left Swansea far weaker than they had been previously, and it ultimately led to Martin leaving the club just a couple of months later.

Swansea City endured a farcical transfer window in January 2023

In December 2022, Martin met with owner Jason Levien and was confident that he would receive the "necessary backing" to bolster his squad the following month.

However, what transpired was anything but, and despite seeing a number of first-team players leave the club, and loanees recalled, Swansea didn't make a single signing, despite gaping hopes in their squad.

Michael Obafemi departed for Burnley, Jordan Garrick joined Forest Green Rovers, while Brandon Cooper and Nathanael Ogbeta left on loan, putting a dent in Swansea's squad depth, and the aim was to replace them.

Deadline day won't be forgotten in a hurry by Swansea supporters, and it looked like Karlan Grant would be joining the club on loan until the end of the season, only for West Brom to pull the plug at the last minute, moments before the deadline, leaving Swansea with no new signings.

The likes of Josh Key, Harry Cornick, Malcolm Ebiowei, Cameron Archer, Liam Delap, Joe Gelhardt, Chiedozie Ogbene and Hannes Wolf were just some of the players Swansea were interested in, as per Wales Online, and the fact they weren't able to sign a single player was hugely frustrating for everyone involved.

None more so than for Martin, who was understandably devastated that he hadn't been backed in January.

In his next press conference, he brought in 17 members of his backroom staff to "show how together everyone is despite what's gone on", but ultimately, it led to him leaving the club just a couple of months on.

Swansea endured a tough run, failing to win a game until March, but they embarked on a fantastic end to the season, going unbeaten from the 14th March, and they finished just three points off the play-offs, despite their paper thin squad.

Had he been backed in January, who knows what would have happened, and January 2023 will always be remembered for the wrong reasons by Swansea supporters.

January 2023 was the start of the end for Russell Martin at Swansea City

Martin was brutally honest in the aftermath of the January transfer window, and he admitted after he left the club that he "paid the price for being too honest."

He told BBC Sport: "I was as honest [with the fans] through you guys [in the media] as I could be and probably paid the price for that eventually… well I definitely paid the price for that eventually.

"But I wouldn't change it because I think the people deserved that, because it's a brilliant place and a brilliant club."

With talks over a new contract failing to materialise in the summer of 2023, Martin left Swansea to join Championship rivals Southampton, leading them to promotion via the play-offs in May 2024.

Martin admits that January was the start of the end of his time at Swansea, and reflected on how different things could have been had the club made some signings that month.

He said: "I think what might have been if we'd done a bit more last January, if we'd then been given the security of the future which we'd been told we were going to get for quite some time and then didn't.

"We could have kept on building, who knows, but it hasn't happened."