Luke Williams | We need to improve our recruitment work to earn the trust of our supporters

Head coach Luke Williams believes Swansea City must take steps to openly address and improve their recruitment structure in order to build trust and give supporters reasons to be positive about the club’s future.

The Swans boss was speaking as he faced the media following the end of a January transfer window where, while pleased with the additions of Hannes Delcroix, Lewis O’Brien and Melker Widell, he acknowledged the club fell short of its own expectations.

Williams has previously spoken of the Swans needing to operate smartly in building a squad to handle the rigours of a Championship season and be a competitive proposition, and he reiterated those comments as he reflected on January, highlighting the need for a more joined-up approach and better organisation.

“I think we have got to give the group support and get it in the best possible place to play as well as they can,” said the Swans boss, who hopes the impending arrival of a new senior football figure will help oversee a reset and restructuring of the club’s work in the transfer market.

“But, looking further forward, we have to be more organised and smart in what we do.

“I hope I am not speaking out of turn, but I don’t think people are going to be furious if next season we are not in the top one or two in the Championship.

“It’s about us seeing a group that is well put together and with some exciting players in there, some top players that can bring a lot of joy to us all.

“It's about getting our business done really well, people want to see that we are going in the right direction.

“At times this season it has felt like we are going in the right direction, but then we have had a bad run, and the window has not gone the way we hoped and it’s easy to forget those moments.

“I include myself in that, you forget some of the positive feelings we have had, and some of the performances where we have played well as a team.

“That’s because you feel frustrated in the moment, and we have to start building trust with the fans so they can see we are trying to build something and we are working smartly.”

And Williams also spoke passionately about the responsibility those in senior positions at the club - including himself - have to the supporters, and the community the club serves at large.

“That is a huge responsibility for us all because this is a fantastic place to come and play football and immerse yourself in one football club,” he added.

“Wherever you walk around here, and whoever you see, they are a Swansea fan. It means it is intense, but it is also perfect.

"We have to get it right, we have to get it right. We have to stop making the fans unhappy.

“It’s not as easy as saying ‘we are going to win the league next season and get all the best players’, because we know the constraints. 

“But people want to see we are trying to do things in a joined-up way, with good signings, good plans and key players being retained by the club when we have the chance to do so.

“In that way, we will have more trust and respect of the fanbase and they will see we are trying to do things in the right way, and then we can put a stop to the disappointment and the feeling of frustration there is.”