Swansea City Championship Odds: Sheehan the right man?

For a club that has plodded along in mid-table in the Championship for four seasons now, Swansea City were handed an injection of excitement as Luka Modric and Snoop Dogg both invested in the club. 

Swansea finished 11th in the league after some fine league form under Alan Sheehan towards the back of last season, and will be hoping to push for the play-offs this time around. Below you can find the Swansea City Championship Odds as well as a season preview. 

The move to get rid of Luke Williams in February of this year raised a few eyebrows, but it was clear that the former Notts County manager just didn’t quite have the right connection with the fans in South Wales. 

His caretaker successor Sheehan delivered 24 points from his 13 games in charge which was mightily impressive as they climbed the table - with only the 100-point duo of Burnley and Leeds getting more points over the same timeframe. Sheehan was handed the permanent job fairly swiftly, and has a point to prove this term to show that he wasn’t a flash in the pan.

Championship Odds

Transfer business

In: Zeidane Inoussa (£5.5m), Ethan Galbraith (£1m), Bobby Wales (£200k), Cameron Burgess and Ricardo Santos (free).

Out: Mykola Kukharevych (£750k), Jerry Yates (undisclosed), Harry Darling, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Nathan Broome (all free), Florian Bianchini (loan).

Swansea spending over £5m on a single player is a rarity since they returned to the Championship and so Zeidane Inoussa goes in as their 15th most expensive purchase of all time. He joins from Hacken in Sweden and at 23, will want to hit the ground running, with the left winger likely to light up the Swansea.com Stadium. 

However, I think they’ve got a real bargain elsewhere as Ethan Galbraith joins the club for £1m. The former Manchester United youngster shone at Leyton Orient in League 1 last season and I think he is a wonderful addition, and should help fill the void that captain Matt Grimes left in January when he joined Coventry.

Cameron Burgess is a sensible centre-back addition on a free while you have to love a Welsh club signing a player called Bobby Wales as well as the forward joins from Kilmarnock for a minuscule fee. 

I don’t like the fact that they have lost Jerry Yates and Harry Darling in the same window, with those two offering superb experience, but this does feel like a summer refresh for the Swans under a manager that wants to make his mark. 

Key Player: Ethan Galbraith

I have tried to stay away from new signings as key players in these Championship previews. But Swansea lacked a star and I truly think they’ve signed a midfielder that can compete with most big names in the second tier. 

It’s tough to be a young player in Manchester United’s set-up but the loan to Salford helped him out, before he finally got out of Old Trafford last summer. Leyton Orient, with Richie Wellens in charge, proved to be the perfect move as they reached the play-off final, inspired by Galbraith. He got six goals and seven assists on the way to Wembley and can do everything a central midfielder should. 

I’m really happy he’s gone to Swansea, and think he can make them tick this term.

Prediction: 15th

I know some pundits will have them higher based on the form they shown under Sheehan but I’m not completely sold on them. They won’t be anywhere near relegation and could flirt with the play-offs, but ultimately I think they haven’t improved that much in a tougher division.

Football Odds

Ben Cabango is a decent defender and I like Lawrence Vigouroux in goal, but I’m struggling to see where the goals are coming from. Zan Vipotnik got seven last term and Liam Cullen has 28 goals in 147 Championship appearances in total, so neither can be expected to get 15+. 

I think that may hold them back, while we are yet to see how Sheehan copes with a tricky spell. This new-look Swansea may need another season to find their feet. 

Today's Football Fixtures

You can read all our latest Football Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.