Swansea City should ditch 2024 transfer experiment this summer and source upgrades | OneFootball

Swansea City need to strengthen their forward options after Zan Vipotnik and Florian Bianchini struggled to live up to expectations

With another Championship season done and dusted for Swansea City, their attention has turned to strengthening their squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

With Melker Widell, Zeidane Inoussa and Bobby Wales already confirmed as new signings, it appears that the Swans mean business this summer, and it would be a real surprise if there weren't more additions to come in the coming months.

However, one priority for Alan Sheehan should be bolstering their attacking options, with Zan Vipotnik and Florian Bianchini both underwhelming in their first campaign in SA1.

The attacking duo were brought to the club from Ligue 2 duo Bordeaux and Bastia last summer, and while they've shown glimpses of potential, better is needed if the Swans are to mount a play-off push when the new campaign begins.

Swansea City should move on Zan Vipotnik and Florian Bianchini in the right circumstances

There were high hopes for the pair when they arrived last summer, particularly for Vipotnik, but things just haven't clicked since swapping the French second tier for the English second tier.

Slovenian international Vipotnik bagged seven Championship goals in 42 appearances and did improve following Sheehan taking over from Luke Williams, but plenty of supporters would have expected more when his move was confirmed from Bordeaux.

There's no doubting that the 23-year-old has something about him and his ball-striking ability is a real strength, but he doesn't possess the athleticism that the top strikers in the division do.

Meanwhile, it's been a strange campaign for Bianchini, who was signed as a wide player but converted to a central option after struggling to make an impact on the wing, and while there have also been glimpses of talent, he's just not been able to do it on a regular basis.

The Frenchman struggled for playing time compared to Vipotnik, making 36 Championship appearances, but just eight of them starts, scoring three goals in total.

Two of those three goals came against Championship powerhouses in the form of Leeds United and Sheffield United, but his goal against the Blades in January was to be his last of the campaign, and he struggled for minutes under Sheehan after the Irishman took over in February.

Ten goals between the pair isn't good enough if Swansea have genuine ambitions of the top six next season, and it wouldn't be a surprise if one, or both, left this summer.

It's been reported previously by TEAMtalk that Vipotnik is attracting interest from Belgium, Germany and Saudi Arabia, so Swansea could well look to cash in on the former Bordeaux man, with the BBC reporting that "it is not inconceivable that Swansea would say yes should a serious offer come in for the Slovenia international this summer."

As for Bianchini, you feel as if a loan exit could be on the cards, with permanent suitors perhaps unlikely given his three-goal tally last season and three years remaining on his current deal.

It's an exciting time at Swansea City, and there's a new-found ambition ahead of next season, so it certainly wouldn't be a surprise if they were looking to upgrade on Bianchini and Vipotnik this summer.

Swansea City need a Championship striker with experience

With Bobby Wales having sealed a move to the Swansea.com Stadium, giving Sheehan a promising young option, you feel as if any new striker signing would need to be a more experienced one.

Vipotnik is only 23, and with Wales being 19, an older head who has been there and done it at Championship level could compliment the younger strikers nicely.

There will undoubtedly be a clamour amongst some of the Jack Army to bring Oli McBurnie back to SA1 with the Scotsman set to leave Las Palmas, while someone like Carlton Morris has worked with Sheehan previously and may be looking to return to the Championship after relegation to League One with Luton Town.

Of course, wages may well be a sticking point, but these are the sort of strikers Swansea should be targeting this summer if they're serious about the play-offs, and they would almost guarantee goals, something that Vipotnik and Bianchini don't currently.

With Sheehan looking to put his own stamp on the squad this summer, Vipotnik and Bianchini face a big pre-season if they've got a future at the club, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they weren't Swansea players when the window closes.