The transfer window is finally closed which means it's time to take stock of Swansea's haul. It's easy to forget all the other players who Brendan Rodgers added before the season began; having done most of the work early, there wasn't much left to address. Nevertheless, some have accused Swansea of showing a "lack of ambition" with their low-key last minute additions. The latest new faces at the Liberty might not be big in terms of name recognition, but at least one of them represents an especially savvy pickup.

Darnel Situ
Not much is known about Situ, but he's one of those guys you sign straight away if you've ever played Football Manager because he always turns out great. Only 19, he has lots of potential, but that doesn't mean he is simply "one for the future". After all, if Swansea don't address the present there won't be a future. Or at least, not enough of one for guys like Situ to want to stick around.

Situ is primarily a centre back but can also play as a defensive midfielder. He has captained every youth team he's been a part of, including the French national Under-17 team during a European Championship. It's safe to say he has both maturity and leadership, which hopefully means he will be ready to play first team football for Swansea right now.

Situ is tall and apparently quite physical, both attributes lacking in the team so far. I have mentioned before that I think Swansea needed some physicality down the middle, and Situ looks like he can provide that. I imagine Brendan Rodgers will develop him to play both positions; he'd be wasted used solely in a centre back rotation when he could also help out in midfield. Kemy Augustien has done well so far playing as the midfield muscle and Situ could become an alternative in that role. As a centre back, his height will be an obvious advantage.

Rating: B+ Budget Wengernomics. All told, Rodgers has done well to pick up a promising young player for just £250,000 who should be able to contribute immediately. That B+ will upgrade to an A if he plays to his potential sooner rather than later.

Fede Bessone
It is said that God doesn't close a door without opening a window. Well, Alan Tate doesn't break a leg without opening one either; one wide enough for former Swan Fede Bessone to squeeze through. Bessone was as cheap as they come, since he was taken on a free after he terminated his Leeds United contract by mutual consent. That termination says all anyone needs to know about the Argentine's time at Elland Road. Having struggled to make the Leeds team, he was sent to League One Charlton Athletic on loan. Whether Swansea ought to be recruiting players from the ranks of League One teams would be a more hotly debated topic had the character in question not been a former player.

Bessone had started to look good in a Swans shirt before he spurned a new contract in favour of a move away. He has some pace and similar attacking tendencies to Angel Rangel but is actually more defensively culpable. Of course, none of this will be news to Swans fans. It is safe to say that when Tate's misfortune fell, the Swans had to come up with a solution fast, and nothing is faster than spinning the Rolodex of former players presently lost in limbo, especially ones with no price tag.

I was surprised the Swans couldn't come up with a more inspired solution, however, as the team has been thin at full back since the start of the season. In other words, it's not as though Tate's injury suddenly created a problem which didn't already exist; it just exacerbated it. I almost expected Rodgers to try once again to secure Chelsea's Patrick van Aanholt on loan; he failed last January as the player chose Leicester instead. This time around, he has been sent to Wigan, a team whose level isn't far removed from the Swans. Maybe it was money, maybe van Aanholt doesn't like the sea air or maybe Rodgers didn't want to bring anyone in who would take significant playing time away from Neil Taylor; whatever the case, the closing of the transfer window means Bessone is now the extent of the Swans left back cover should anything happen to Taylor.

Rating: C An uninspired solution to a summer-long problem that ought to have been dealt with before Tate's injury. Bessone is at least familiar with the city and most of his team mates, so settling in shouldn't be a problem.

Rafik Halliche
Halliche is an Algerian international centre back, who plays an uncomplicated game. He is strong in the tackle, good in the air and good at intercepting passes. Think of him as the Algerian Tony Adams. He played every minute of Algeria's World Cup in 2010, and performed well enough to earn his transfer to Fulham, who in turn have loaned the defender to the Swans. My understanding is the deal might only be until the January window, but we'll see. He didn't really catch on at Fulham, having made only the one appearance, and at Swansea he'll become part of a suddenly bloated centre back rotation, following the imminent recovery of Garry Monk and the simultaneous arrival of Darnel Situ. Like Situ, he's also tall, so the "dwarf defence" label I was throwing around in the pre-season can finally be slung into the same dark corner as the "dubious goalkeeping situation" one. In the World Cup, Algeria only conceded twice in three games and managed a nil-nil draw with England, so it's safe to say Halliche has experience with facing (and shutting down) some of the best English players the Premier League has to offer, if only for one game.
Rating: B- A solid, temporary depth signing.

Gerhard Tremmel
Not really a deadline-day signing as it was all sorted out a few days before, but I thought I'd mention it here whilst I was at it. Tremmel impressed in a pre-season trial; he is a technical goalkeeper who executes all the "classic" saves like he was modelling for an illustrated instruction manual. He has a strong all-around game, and whilst his distribution isn't quite that of Moreria and his agility not that of Vorm, he doesn't have any obvious weaknesses either. He has plenty of experience, having played for several German teams and most recently Red Bull Salzburg, and will be both a fine depth addition to the goalkeeping ranks as well as a doppleganger for Garry Monk, which ought to confuse the hell out of everyone.

Rating: B There isn't much to separate Tremmel and Moreira as the legitimate number two behind Vorm; the fact each goalkeeper plays an entirely different game gives Brendan Rodgers a couple of different looks between the pipes as well as depth.

Overall
I have been campaigning for more full back depth on these pages for a while now, and am frankly a little bit disappointed the team have not improved in any significant way in this area. With Tate out indefinitely, Bessone simply becomes his replacement. Whilst Bessone won't be victimised for lack of pace the way Tate was, he won't defend nearly as well as Tate did either, so it's swings and roundabouts. The team still has little cover for Rangel, who isn't injury-proof or fatigue-proof even if the team's transfer policy seems to suggest he is. I feel the Swans would have been best served bringing in an experienced full back who could play either flank. Of course, in reality, such idealism is seldom easy to realise.

On the plus side of the scale, Tremmel and Halliche should be dependable squad players, whilst Situ represents a coup. He was courted by Man Utd only three years ago, and was also approached by Newcastle and Fulham this year. He satisfies the need for more overall physicality and, if his aptitude to play in midfield is nurtured, he will provide the Swans with some much needed snarl in the centre of the park, too.

Team D-day Rating: B Not bad, room for improvement. Bessone feels like a lazy and/or desperate choice, but factors behind the scenes could have dictated events. You never know, he might pick up where he left off and surprise a few people. Tremmel was technically signed before D-day whilst Halliche provides solid depth, albeit on a short term basis. The real diamond in the rough here is Situ. If he develops as projected, what looks at first glance like an underwhelming deadline day bag of bits and pieces will produce a key cog down the road.

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