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New Swansea City boss Carlos Carvalhal says he is yet to discuss how much money will be available to spend in the January transfer window, but has hinted he is eager to keep hold of centre-back Alfie Mawson.

Carvalhal, who parted company with previous club Sheffield Wednesday on Christmas Eve, was confirmed as Paul Clement's replacement in the Liberty Stadium hot-seat on Thursday.

The Portuguese faces a difficult task in South Wales, with the Swans currently bottom of the Premier League and five points adrift of safety.

His predecessor had already reportedly identified several areas in need of strengthening during the upcoming transfer window, but Caravalhal insists he has not discussed any such plans with the club's hierarchy, adding that he is keen to assess the ability of his current squad first.

Speaking at his first press conference as Swansea manager, he said: "It is something not discussed too much. I have to analyse the team, I have seen from outside but from inside there are surprises sometimes negative or positive.

"We have to check if we have weaknesses and if we feel that we can look at another player but we need to give these players a chance to show they are better than what they have shown.

"The Premier League is a good window to show ability for players, it is a World Cup year and players who want to go may not be playing and we can check if some of those players can help us if we need them.

"I will give them all an opportunity to show they are better than what they show so far. After this, we will analyse the weaknesses and if we understand what we need we will try and recover the situation."

Carvalhal, who has previously managed 14 clubs in four different countries, added that he hasn't even discussed how much money there will be available to spend in the new year, although he insists he will have the final say on any new arrivals.

"I did not talk money with the chairman, it is my romantic side talking. I deal with footballers, if we need separate players I will try and choose them but the money is not what I want to talk about, I am allergic to money.

"They will be my choices absolutely, I will see what players we have in mind, who we need and who the scouts of Swansea have seen."

Another issue that may well need to be sorted out in the new year is the future of Alfie Mawson, who was linked with a move to West Ham United earlier this week.

However, Carvalhal has hinted that he would be keen to keep the centre-back in South Wales, while also adding that under-fire midfielder Renato Sanches could also have an important role to play.

(Image: Getty Images)

He added: "I think in this moment if we don’t feel the team is strong we cannot make the team more weak, all the players will be here at the end of the season. Special things can happen.

"I think he [Sanches] needs confidence, we can sometimes forget he is still a kid, he is learning. He needs a role in the team and time to understand the roles everyone has.

"He will be involved in the dynamic and when he understands what we want he can be a big player for this team."