With the new season literally days away, here's my take on what we can expect from Michael Laudrup's new-look Swans this year.

In order to get a better idea of the task Swansea face in trying to stay up, I took a look at the final standings of every Premier League season so far. I wanted to know the average number of points needed to finish one place out of the drop zone and therefore in safety. Here's what I found.

It's the next part of my Swansea Season Preview, and it's time to look at the reasons Swansea will stay up... and in the interest of being balanced, a few why they might not.

With the start of the new season literally days away, I thought I'd indulge in a Swansea City season preview. To start, I'm going to take a look at the team's new signings.

After last season's campaign, the team badly needed a striker, some defensive depth (not to mention height), some cover on the wings, some strength in the middle and, as it turned out, a new goalkeeper or two. So, one of everything, then (my favourite order at the bar). Manager Brendan Rodgers seems to have an taste for misfits; players who have always shown promise but have failed to catch on anywhere else. He also like them fast. His first experiment was successful, as giving Scott Sinclair a team and a jersey to call his own resulted in 27 goals and (with Nathan Dyer) the most dynamic winger pairing in the Championship. This summer, Rodgers has followed suit and brought unsettled speedsters Wayne Routledge and Leroy Lita in from the cold (i.e.. The North). He's also added one or two others.

Let's take a look.