Forget Macaulay Langstaff - Swansea City should move for 24-assist Notts County winger instead: View | OneFootball

Swansea City failed to replace the goals of Dutch forward Joël Piroe last season with the signings of Jerry Yates and Jamal Lowe, but the club's goalscoring issues could be solved with the signing of a new midfielder this summer rather than a striker.

Jamaican international Lowe and former Blackpool star Yates were bought in to help Swansea find the net when they sold star forward Piroe to Leeds United last summer for around £12 million, according to Wales Online.

Despite finishing as Swansea's top scorers in the 2023/24 Championship season, their combined total of 17 was less than the 19 that Piroe managed in the previous league season.

Naturally, the club has been linked with moves for several strikers in the summer, none more than League Two top goalscorer Macaulay Langstaff, according to the BBC.

Swansea manager Luke Williams knows Langstaff very well, having signed the 28-goal forward while managing Notts County. However, a different Magpies player could make a significant impact if signed this summer.

The Swans may have finished the season with an expected goals underperformance of 1.8, but with key passes, passes into the penalty area, and expected assists all below average in the league, according to statistics from FBREF, the lack of goals may not just be a forwards issue.

Jodi Jones broke Kevin De Bruyne and Thierry Henry's record for the most assists in an English professional league season last term with an incredible 24 assists. He could be the man to transform Williams' attack next season.

Jodi Jones could thrive in a more advanced role at Swansea

Jones spent most of his record-breaking 2023/24 season playing in the left wing-back position in a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 formation under the coaching of both Williams and current manager Stuart Maynard.

The versatile Malta international has played a variety of positions throughout his career but the majority of his appearances have come on the left flank, where he can use his stronger left foot to whip crosses into the box.

Williams has strayed away from his favoured 3-4-3 system at Notts County in favour of a more balanced and defensively solid 4-2-3-1 formation at Swansea.

The left midfield role seems to be where Jones would slot into his former manager's new system. The 26-year-old would have the cover of a left back, most likely Josh Tymon, behind him, which would protect his defensive frailties and allow him to flourish further up the pitch.

The January signings of wingers Przemyslaw Placheta and Ronald proved that Williams is looking to use a more traditional style of wide-man, who stays wide during the build-up phase and uses his stronger foot to deliver crosses into the box.

Polish winger Placheta was not signed on after his short-term contract which has vacated the left midfield slot. Current options in the squad who have been used there include Oli Cooper, Josh Ginelly, and Jamie Paterson, but neither of those players fit the ideal mould of the position required by their manager.

London-born Jones would be an ideal candidate for the position and could come at a reasonable price given he has only one year left on his contract with his current side.

Jodi Jones is ready to return to the Championship

Jones has just finished his best-ever season in professional football, where he broke the fourth-tier assist record as early as February on his way to being named the League Two Player of the Season and Notts County Supporters' Player of the Season.

The Malta international has proved that he is ready to return to the Championship after two seasons away. He only managed nine appearances, where he made one assist in the 2021/22 season for Coventry City. He will be keen to prove that he has what it takes to thrive in the second tier.

If not for a rotten injury record, which saw the midfielder sidelined for almost 900 days whilst at Coventry, he might already have been playing in the Championship.

At 26 years old, Jones is entering his prime, and he has proven that he is too good for the fourth tier. A move to Swansea City to reunite with his former manager could prove to be a fantastic one for both the player and the club.