'We want the best from this group'

Graham Potter reckons Swansea City’s squad is in good shape ahead of tomorrow’s deadline for loan signings.

The Swans boss has refused to rule out the possibility of new faces coming in or players departing in the next 24 hours.

But he feels the group he has to work with is big enough for the rigours of a Championship season and, as a result, he is focusing on the players already at the Liberty rather than potential recruits.

Potter bolstered his central defensive options by signing Cameron Carter-Vickers on loan from Spurs last weekend, while he has given a host of academy products a first-team chance since taking the reins in the summer.

And he said: “I counted up today and our squad is made up of 27 or 28 players who have indicated that they want to be here playing for Swansea City.

“From a numbers perspective, I think we are okay. I don’t think the squad is as light as maybe we think.

“I think we have good competition in all areas of the squad, and for us it’s about working hard to get the maximum out of the group of players we have.

“When the window is open, the club’s responsibility is to keep looking at who is available, but as the head coach I want to make sure we are improving the guys we have.

“I think a few players have put their hands up, like Joe Rodon for example, and that’s a positive for us.”

Carter-Vickers became Potter’s fifth Swans signing following Joel Asoro, Barrie McKay, Bersant Celina and Declan John, while Yan Dhanda also arrived in SA1 this summer.

A host of senior players have gone in the opposite direction but, having given so many youngsters the chance to push for first-team football, Potter feels he has good options at his disposal.

“As I have said before, we are in a position where we are re-adjusting after what’s happened over the last two or three years,” he added.

“There’s no getting away from that fact, but my job is to be as positive as I can be and to help the guys here be as good as they can be.

“We want to put a team on the pitch that the supporters want to support. The supporters were really good with us again when we played Crystal Palace. I think they liked what they saw.

“Our challenge is to do more of that and to win football matches.

“It’s not just about signing players. Another solution is to try to take players to the level you want to get to.

“In my last job I had a guy who was playing fourth division football in Sweden when we started.

“By the end he was playing in the Europa League against Arsenal. That’s because of a development process.

“For us it’s about trying to get the most out of what we have and being in a position where we are being as good as we can be.”