We've ended the window stronger than we started it, says Russell Martin

Head coach Russell Martin is confident Swansea City ended the summer transfer window stronger than they started it as he prepares his side to take on Hull City.

The Swans ended up adding nine players to their squad over the course of the window, with six of those arriving following Martin’s appointment at the start of August.

Jamie Paterson, Flynn Downes, Ethan Laird, Rhys Williams, Michael Obafemi and Olivier Ntcham have all put pen to paper at the Swansea.com Stadium in the last month.

And, while it has made for a hectic start to Martin’s tenure – which has seen him face seven games in his first 27 days at the helm - he is confident in what he has at his disposal as he gets down to work on the training ground.

“The guys we’ve brought in have really strengthened us,” he said.

“They have real athleticism, they all really wanted to be here, they’ve all got a brilliant mentality, because they’ve played at a really high level.

“They’re all at a good age, but have relatively good experience. Rhys [Williams] played in one of the best teams in the country and did brilliantly towards the end of last season. Olivier’s played at a club with a huge expectancy to win every single week, he’s played in the Champions League.

“Michael played in the Premier League at a very young age, and if he was a bit more fortunate with injuries, would have played in the Premier League regularly, I’m pretty sure of that.

“So they’re really good additions, they’ll really strengthen us; we finished the window a lot stronger than we started.”

And Martin was also pleased that the majority of Swansea’s summer business saw them sign players on full-time deals, as opposed to having a high number of loan players in the squad.

“They’re ours and they are big assets. It means we can plan more long-term, and we’re not relying on taking other peoples’ players, and the ones we do take on loan have to really make a difference,” he added.

“Take Ethan [Laird] for example, who’s not available to us permanently because [Manchester United] really see him as a long-term prospect for them, but in the short-term he’ll really help us.

“But we can’t be overly reliant on them. And that’s why, I think, the business we have done has been really successful; there are players that have a real chance of improving us in how we see the Swansea way.

“Hopefully, in the long term, they prove to be really good acquisitions."