Last season was a dark one for anyone affiliated with Swansea City. Throughout the campaign, it became increasingly apparent that the club had become disconnected from the identity it had established in its six prior seasons in the top flight.
In fact, that identity had been slowly slipping since Garry Monk's 2015 departure. And while Paul Clement was briefly able to revitalise the club, steering them to safety in the 2016/17 season, his departure in December meant it was the third consecutive season the Swans would change their manager before the new year.
Such frequent, if often necessary, changes meant that there would be no new Brendan Rodgers or Roberto Martinez at Swansea.