Clement Says Swansea Aim To Keep Hold Of Best Players

Paul Clement insists Swansea City do not have to sell their best players this summer as he vowed to strengthen the squad.

The 2-1 victory over West Brom in their final league game took the Swans up two places into 15th spot – picking up a £3.8million boost in prize money.

Jordan Ayew, with his first goal for the club, and Fernando Llorente struck to make it 29 points from the 19 games Clement was in charge.

The Swans were bottom with 12 points from their first 19 games after a nightmare start to the season under Francesco Guidolin and then Bob Bradley.

But there is speculation over the futures of Llorente and midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson who has been linked with Everton and former club Tottenham recently.

But 45-year-old Clement said: “We want to keep our best players and strengthen, not get weaker.”

Asked specifically about Icelandic ace Sigurdsson, Clement added: “It’s very clear for us.

“We don’t want to sell him or any of our best players. We want to keep them here, we want to strengthen and I think he, Fernando and the others have enjoyed the second half of the season.

“They can see this is a club that shouldn’t have been fighting relegation, they should have been doing a lot better.”

The Swans majority owners Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien were at the Liberty Stadium to see them recover from Jonny Evans’ opener for the Baggies.

Clement is set to meet with the Americans on Monday for talks over summer transfer targets.

And there will be an extra £3.8m in the coffers – taking the Premier League prize money to £11.5m – after they leapfrogged over Burnley and Watford on the final day.

Clement said of the extra cash: “Of course it helps, not only with players but also the infrastructure; better pitches, better travel, better hotels.

“These are all marginal things that can make a difference for a club like ours where every game is so tight.

“You’re looking to get the best out of the players you have.

“I look forward to meeting the owners to discuss how they think we’ve done and what needs to be done moving forwards.”

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