Transfer Centre

Michael Laudrup: 'Swansea City's Spanish signings at a limit'

By Liam Power, Reporter | 13 July 2013

Swansea City Michael Laudrup feels that he has reached a limit on players he can sign from La Liga, with his squad currently featuring seven Spanish players.

Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup has admitted that he is highly unlikely to add to his seven-strong Spanish contingent this summer.

New signings Jose Canas, Jordi Amat and Alejandro Pozuelo have been added to a growing crop of Spaniards at the Liberty Stadium, which also includes Michu, Chico Flores, Angel Rangel and Pablo Hernandez.

Laudrup believes that the economic advantage of using his links with La Liga is obvious, but is pleased to have helped maintain a British core to his side by signing Jonjo Shelvey last week.

He told The Mirror: "We have seven Spanish players now and we have more or less reached a limit. They are all very nice guys but this is still a Welsh team, a British team.

"The Premier League and La Liga are the top two leagues but there is an economic difference because of the financial crisis. We can have two players at the same level and one will cost £4m and the other £8m, which would you choose? The problem is one player is Spanish and the other is British. But you can't choose the £4m man every time or you will have 11 Spanish players.

"That's why I am very pleased we have a player like Jonjo Shelvey. He has quality, he's young but experienced and I hear the value for money is good. When you have the possibility to get a talent like that, it's good."

Laudrup took his summer spending past £20m this week, with the club-record signing of Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony from Vitesse Arnhem.