Transfer targets, contract calls and decision that will kickstart Swans' summer

Swansea City have landed their first signing of the window, but there's still a fair amount of work ahead this summer.

This will be the squad's first pre-season under Vitor Matos, who will be hoping the time spent together will help to emphasise the methods implemented in the second half of last season.

Matos has already stressed that he doesn't expect, nor desire, the sort of upheaval seen in previous summers, but will nevertheless be hoping for several incomings before the first ball is kicked.

There are several other loose ends that will need to be tied up in that time too, and some have questioned whether the club is suitably equipped to deal with the challenges ahead.

The search for a new sporting director continues to roll on - nearly two months after head of recruitment Adam Worth departed.

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The club is understood to have assessed a number of candidates over the last few weeks.

Former Everton and Manchester United chief Steve Brown was one of the early front-runners, but didn't manage to land the job.

Mikael Dorsin, former director at Norwegian side Rosenborg was linked, as was former Swans hero Michu.

The club did actually hold talks with Michu last month, but it's understood he's since been ruled out.

Fans will hope a new appointment is not too far away, as despite the insistence of Matos that it won't have too much of an impact on the overall blueprint for the summer, whoever comes in will have a fair amount in their in-tray.

Swansea already have one of their transfer priorities addressed in the form of a new centre-back. Stephen Welsh will link up with his new team next month when the window officially opens, having left Celtic by mutual consent.

But there are a couple of other key areas the Swans are looking to strengthen.

As revealed by WalesOnline, the Swans are also hoping to bring in a winger, ideally two, capable of pushing for a regular first-team place next season.

A left-back capable of covering for Josh Tymon, who's frankly one of City's most important players, is also a key priority.

These plans appear to have been overseen by previous head of recruitment Worth, so it remains to be seen whether the appointment of a new sporting director will have an impact.

Certainly, one suspects, they will have their own ideas on what will be required ahead of the new season.

The exact remit of the new sporting director isn't yet known, but it's reasonable to assume they will have some sort of input in contract negotiations.

Perhaps the most high-profile example right now is Ethan Galbraith.

The midfielder still has two years left to run, with the option of another, on his current deal.

However, given his impressive exploits during his first season in the Championship, the club have been keen on tying him down to a new and improved deal, similar to that signed by Zan Vipotnik.

Their first offer, far below that earned by Swansea's top stars, was rejected towards the end of the season.

At the time of writing, there hasn't been a second offer, and the situation has perhaps caused speculation around the Northern Irishman to escalate, with Wrexham and West Ham United among those keeping an eye on developments.

Finding some sort of solution might well be a top priority.

Similarly, there's still uncertainty hanging over the future of veteran defender Joel Ward.

Swansea signed the Crystal Palace veteran on a short-term deal shortly after Matos arrived, and he'd go on to make 15 appearances.

Having approached the end of the new season without a new deal, the assumption many made was that Ward would be moving on this summer.

However, the club would later reveal they would be opening negotiations over a new deal.

So far, there's not been any breakthrough, and if that remains the case before the new sporting director comes in, it could well be something they will be tasked with looking at.

It's likely to be the biggest call of Swansea's summer.

The Championship's top scorer is already attracting a fair amount of attention, and with his value seemingly breaching the £15m mark that was quoted back in January, he's clearly a prized asset.

Sporting are the latest to have been linked, while there have already been initial conversations with fellow Portuguese giants Benfica.

West Ham are also admirers, and there's likely to be a few more given the Slovenian's exploits last season.

Should a big money offer come in, it will give the club, and potentially the new sporting director, some real food for thought.

But this isn't just about deciding to accept an offer, the club need to ensure they squeeze as much value as they possibly can out of any potential sale.

Then, there needs to be a sophisticated plan of action in terms of figuring out how to reinvest that money.

The handling of the whole episode could frankly make or break the new sporting director's time in charge.