First up is Leon's interview where he stated his belief that the Swans should pull out all the stops in a bid to retain Ashley Williams services for next season.
"It is vitally important that we keep someone like Ashley. He has been fantastic since he joined us and he is the captain now. He has been absolutely brilliant, and it's no surprise he has been linked with Liverpool and Arsenal.
"It is a testament to the player because he has been outstanding, but hopefully we can keep hold of him. We would all love him to stay and we will see what the summer holds but hopefully come the start of August he will still be here."
"I think it is important we spread the games around the squad. We have seen this season with the likes of Newcastle and Stoke - two teams who have done well in the Europa League - that you can struggle a bit in the league.
"It can take its toll, but I am sure the management and staff have plans in place to bring players in." Leon Britton
People have been using Newcastle as an example of what can happen if you try and compete in Europe with a fairly thin squad. They finished last season with 65 points - a massive twenty four more than they accrued this term. Granted, there were other factors involved in their dismal form this year but ultimately it seems the extra games really affected their league performance. Given that Newcastle enjoyed some success in the Europa League and actually had a crack at it, their experiences are likely to be more comparable to Swansea's impending Euro adventure than Stoke's the year before, where Pulis didn't really take it seriously and put out a second team against Valencia (the Potters unsurprisingly went down 2-0).
Laudrup has stated that if (and that's a big if) the Swans retain their entire squad (minus players he wants to ship out) he'd like to sign six or seven players for next season. He's also hinted that some of his transfer targets would "get fans excited" so it seems we may be in for a surprise or two over the close season. As for Ashley Williams, would he go? Liverpool seem set to sign Kolo Toure on a free, which would seemingly make Anfield an unlikely destination for the Swansea captain, however with Arsenal consistently rumoured to be interested you feel a bid is now imminent. Would he go? It would be hard, if not impossible for him to turn down such a move, but you never know.
As I mentioned in a previous blog here, it's not always sensible to cash in. Ok, the Swans could probably get £10mil, maybe a bit more, but we don't necessarily need it and selling Ash would rip the heart out of the defence, the team and the dressing room. He's been exceptional since signing for us and has come on so far; I remember when he was still rough around the edges - any time he came for a header I winced because generally he'd fly past the man and miss the ball, but I think playing alongside Garry Monk has made Williams into the defender he is. He now has a greater appreciation of how to read the game and despite the incessant abuse he doles out to Monk you feel he appreciates how much playing alongside him has helped his game.
If he wants to go, then obviously we can't stop him. That's the one thing no-one knows and you won't find many Swansea fans who'd begrudge him his chance at playing for an established Champions League club. If and when he does move on, it's going to be one hell of a task replacing him, and the Swans are probably already keeping tabs on options in case he does up sticks. Leon clearly agrees that selling Ash would leave a massive void and it's always questionable whether you can fill such a void without suffering on the pitch. So far though the Swans higher-ups have performed miracles in terms of player recruitment and I don't expect that to stop now. Onwards and upwards, eh!