Swansea and Norwich emphatically proved this season that Championship clubs can successfully make the step up to the Premier League without breaking the bank. In fact all three of the clubs promoted in the 2010/11 season maintained their Premier League status this campaign. But just what was the recipe to this success and can it be repeated this season by the new boys Reading, Southampton and West Ham?
The temptation for promoted clubs to spend big in pre-season must be huge following on from the financial windfall provided by the Premier League, sponsorship and TV deals. Over recent seasons however clubs and chairmen seem to have come to the conclusion that in both the short and long term, spending big is often not the best course of action. The plights of Leeds United and Portsmouth highlight the dangers of investing too heavily in highly paid and expensive talent. An alternative has now been offered by Swansea and Norwich, who have been able to demonstrate it is possible to spend frugally but still reap great success. Just how did the two clubs do this?
By not over-spending the clubs were in turn able to keep hold of their key players from the previous season. Swansea kept hold of Ashley Williams, Leon Britton & Nathan Dyer thus keeping the core of the team together. This was added to with the purchases of Michel Vorm and Danny Graham, both proven players at reasonable prices whilst Gylfi Sigurdsson signed on loan and proved to be one of the shrewdest signings of any club in the league. By keeping the spine of the squad together they maintained their winning mentality and squad cohesion from the previous season. Norwich similarly held onto John Ruddy, Wes Hoolahan & Grant Holt and barely invested in any new signings at all. They too however joined Swansea on 47 points at the end of the season and comfortably maintained their Premier League status. It was a fresh approach in a league that all too often seems to be driven by money and financial power, and by keeping together their squads of hungry, talented and loyal players they proved survival is more than possible.
If lessons are to be learnt from this then West Ham should look to keep hold of the likes of Robert Green, Kevin Nolan & Carlton Cole. Reading will hope to keep Kaspars Gorkss, Mikele Leigertwood & Adam Le Fondre whilst Southampton cannot afford to lose Jose Fonte, Adam Lallana or their lethal goalscorer Rickie Lambert. Money cannot easily replace players like these even if they do lack the Premier League experience some may once have thought necessary to be successful at this level. Swansea and Norwich have dispelled the myth that players that enjoy success in the lower leagues cannot immediately perform in the Premier League.
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