Swansea City's valuation of star striker Zan Vipotnik is more than fair, but the prospect of cashing in might yet prove tempting. That's the verdict of EFL expert Gabriel Sutton, who believes Swansea's demand of around £20m makes a lot of sense in the current market.
The Swans recently batted away a bid from Hull City, which was understood to be well below their current price tag, and it remains to be seen whether the Tigers will return with an improved offer. The recent capture of Ross Stewart has only added fuel to speculation around the Slovenian's future, with Adam Idah already in the building.
Striker conundrum
Should all three still be on the books come the end of the window, Sutton admits keeping everyone happy will be a challenge for Vitor Matos.
"It's a great question. I don't know if Vitor Matos is going to change to two up top," Sutton told WalesOnline, courtesy of bet365 News. "If Zan Vipotnik does end up staying, I could see Adam Idah getting loaned out. I rate Ross Stewart when he's fit very highly. In some ways I think it would be better for Swansea to hone in one of the strikers because it's harder to build momentum when they're having to share the minutes. If Vipotnik stays, Stewart may have to play a supporting role."
Vipotnik's form and valuation
Vipotnik scored 23 goals in the Championship last season, earning him the Golden Boot, and Sutton believes City's current number nine is capable of replicating those heroics again. "It's a good question. I think the answer to that is probably yes. But I wonder whether it would be worth cashing in and using that money to invest in other areas of the squad. I can see from a fan point of view why you'd want to keep him on board."
Sutton also believes Swansea are entitled to stick to their current valuation of Vipotnik, adding that deals elsewhere have offered a good benchmark. "It used to be that £10m was the going rate for a good Championship striker," he added. "But I think with the money in football now, there's been a lot of inflation. The other factor is the stage of the window. These are the last few weeks of the window and you probably don't want to lose your top marksman at this stage of the window. I also think the financial situation at the club means that it can hold its own in the transfer market. Under the previous regime, they might well have had to sell under the first offer, whereas now I think they can hold on for the full value."
Play-off prospects
Swansea will no doubt be aiming for play-off contention this season, particularly with the number of places being extended to six for the upcoming campaign. Sutton says there's reason to be excited by Swansea this term, but still expects them to miss out.
"I think play-offs has to be the aim," he added. "But I wouldn't go so far as to say that if Swansea finish outside the play-offs or in the bottom half that it's an absolute failure, so long as they can see some progress. It's felt for a while that a lack of investment season on season has left the club in rebuild and trying to develop some players to sell. There's only so long the fanbase can have the appetite for that. But I do think there's some more cause for optimism this season. A lot of money has been put into Swansea now and there's some pressures that come with that, but there's also some excitement about some of the form we've seen under Vitor Matos. I suppose the question will be whether that form can extend into this campaigm. I think had Swansea had some of this new investment slightly earlier, they might have been more of a play-off prospect, but I think the strength of the teams this year means some good sides are going to be left disappointed."
