Twelve months ago everything was so bright and rosy at Swansea. They were the reigning League Cup winners, about to play in Europe for the first time. Under the guidance of Michael Laudrup, the only way was up.

But now, there is a real sense of unknown around the club. Gary Monk has replaced the Dane is about to embark on his first full season as a manager and his lack of experience at this level may be their downfall.

When he took over last season, the club were relatively safe and all he had to do was continue where the previous manager left off.

But this year, it will all be his own work and there are some doubts regarding his capabilities as a manager.

Their form at the start of the year was dreadful, failing to win a game in nine attempts. 

Despite it picking up in the last few games, they can’t afford to start off the season like that or Swansea may find themselves in serious trouble.

One positive is that there will be no Europa League at the Liberty Stadium so Monk can focus solely on the league campaign.

But he will have to do it without Pablo Hernandez and Chico Flores who were sold yesterday, Ben Davies and Michel Vorm who both left for Tottenham and with other teams looking to nab Wilfred Bony, it seems the club have a lot of buying to do before the end of the month.

Bafetimbi Gomis has been signed, possibly as a replacement for the departing Bony, while Gylfi Sigurdsson has returned to the club from Spurs.

Yet despite the signings and the reduced fixture list, it may not be enough. They just don’t have that magic and flair they brought with them when they were promoted under Brendan Rodgers, something Laudrup continued. 

Monk may be a former player and know the club better than most but it it remains to be seen how they will handle a bad run of form under the new manager.

There is a reason why the likes of Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp are continually employed by clubs in trouble of relegation from the Premier League or by clubs looking to get promoted back into the top flight.

And though he is often seen sporting a gillet on the touchline, this current Swansea side look ‘armless under his guidance.