Joe Allen to Swansea City: What he's said about future, Stoke City's stance and the all-important question

Swansea City's season is over and planning for next term can now begin in earnest.

Recruitment planning took a hit late last month with the news of football director Mark Allen's surprise departure, but boss Russell Martin believes it won't affect their approach too much. He said on Friday : "We’ve been really heavily involved in all of the planning. We’ve brought a vision of the team here and the club support us as much as they can to help us achieve that vision. We’re really clear in what we need. We’re really clear on who we want. What we’re not so clear on is the time frame.

"Julian (Winter) and Mark had loads of discussions. The decision has come that Mark is no longer here. I don’t think the club will ever make a decision that they don’t feel prepared for. Nothing has changed for us. It’s no problem. Everyone has real clarity in what we’re doing and why we’re doing it."

These words came before news broke of Swansea's interest in bringing Joe Allen home to south Wales. Allen will forever hold a place in Swans fans' hearts, even if a reunion at the Swansea.com Stadium fails to materialise. But from Martin's stance, it is clear that there is real willingingness from Allen's boyhood club to get a deal done.

“Brilliant player, brilliant character. I watched him for Wales recently," explained Martin after the 1-0 defeat to QPR on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign. "He was excellent, the way he spoke to other players as well.

“He loves this club, I love him as a player. I will say it. I would love to [sign him]. We’ll have to wait and see. It will depend on a lot of things. We have a lot of midfielders at the club. We have some midfielders that haven’t played very much.

“People are going to have to leave for