The Swansea squad has swiftly lost it's Spanish flavour since the Monk's appointment, with Pozuelo & Canas particularly feeling the heat
Last summer, around this time, we were knee-deep in rumours surrounding prospective new players - most of whom hailed from the Iberian peninsula. We signed no less than four Spaniards, with Jordi Amat, Jose Canas, Alejandro Pozuelo & Alvaro Vazquez all making the switch - not forgetting Michu, Chico & Pablo who Laudrup had brought in the previous season. Quite the contingent!
Since Laudrup's departure though, we've seen a drastic about turn in the makeup of our lineups, and the direction the club seem to be taking in terms of squad depth. Alvaro left on loan the minute we were legally allowed to, while Michu seems more and more likely to be heading for the exit door. Chico's future seems uncertain (but for now all seems quiet), but for Jose Canas and Alejandro Pozuelo the future looks very uncertain indeed. In fact, the only Spaniards left in the squad who you wouldn't consider at risk of being moved on are Angel Rangel (who is essentially Welsh now anyway), Jordi Amat and Pablo. Mad.
Where did it go wrong for Canas & Poz? I was a massive fan of Jose in particular, and thought the possibility of him charging around alongside Leon was something to relish, while Poz is obviously a very, very talented footballer. That being said, he put in one of the worst individual performances I've ever seen this season - I forget the game but he must've given the ball away thirty times at least - indeed it seemed he gifted it to the opposition any time he actually managed to get a hold of the ball.
It's not performances that seem to be the issue though. Around the time of Laudrup's departure and the Monk's arrival there were rumours of a bustup in training, and since then both players have been virtual outsiders. I've since heard more mutterings about their unhappiness; the "I was on Wind St right..." nature of them means I'm not putting any credence in them, but it is strange that Canas, for example, who played in all of Monk's first six games in charge, was then on the bench for the next three, and wasn't even included in the squad for the last five games of the season. Pozuelo? He didn't make the squad from Monk's first day in charge.
It's hard to ignore the whisperings about attitude being the sticking point, but given both players are clearly very talented it's hard to imagine what else it could be that's put them so far away from the first team picture. I don't like saying it, but I'd be very surprised if either forced their way back into the team now, and it wouldn't be a shock if a few more Spaniards left before the end of the transfer window. Let's keep a hold of Jordi Amat and Pablo though - they're bang tidy!