Russell Martin | I join a club with a sound base to build on

Swansea City head coach Russell Martin believes he has joined a club with a strong base to build from as he was formally unveiled at the Liberty Stadium.

The 35-year-old faced the media for the first time since being appointed on a three-year deal, and outlined what he hopes he can bring to the role.

While the Swans have seen the likes of Freddie Woodman, Marc Guehi and Andre Ayew depart the club since the play-off final at the end of last term, there remains the nucleus of the squad that secured back-to-back top-six finishes.

And that means Martin – while clear on the need to strengthen the squad – feels he has good foundations to build on.

“The club’s been in a great position. I’m coming into such a strong place,” he said.

“That’s appealing too, not coming into a club that is on its knees and finding life really difficult.

“It’s a strong culture and the way the people at the club want to help you is just outstanding and you can sense that everyone who works for the club is desperate for it to succeed.

“For me, the decision was about getting the opportunity to work on something as big as this.

“There’s a lot of work to be done, not just in the transfer market but on the training pitch.

“After speaking to Julian (Winter) and the guys I've been reassured about a lot of things and hopefully that’ll show quickly. It’s a good squad. It’s just a little bit thin at the moment. 

“Of course the club has lost some key players, but all I can focus on is what we do moving forward and we’re working really hard on that now.

“We’re going to give it everything we’ve got. We owe that to the supporters and the people who work at the club.”