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It proved to be arguably the saga of Swansea City's summer transfer window and one of the key factors in ensuring that deadline-day 2018 will go down in club history as a bitter disappointment.

The failure to complete a deal to land Brentford midfielder Ryan Woods was a damning blow for fans to stomach at the end of a summer where they have seen players sold in transfers with a total value of upwards of £45million, in addition to scything through the wage bill.

Barely 10 per cent of that figure has been put back into the playing staff. Fans were always aware cloth would have to be cut, but not to the extent that Swansea's ability to be competitive as a sporting institution felt threatened.

When Graham Potter was appointed, a few jokes were made about him requiring a magic wand like his wizard namesake. Sadly, those comments are no longer in jest.

It feels as though Swansea have brought in a manager renowned as a builder, and taken away his tools.

And failing to land Woods must have the former Ostersunds boss scratching his head in bemusement.

A deal weeks in the making

The worst thing about missing out on Woods is just how long the two clubs had been in discussions over the deal.

Negotiations had been going on for weeks, but there had always been an expectation from those involved in those talks that it would get done.

Some supporters have wondered whether Swansea's interest was just a smokescreen, that there was no genuine interest and it was just put out there as a means of appeasement, as a stream of wantaway players headed for the exit.

That was not the case and, even if it were, it would be a strategy always doomed to absolute failure.

Did Potter want Woods and did Woods want to join?

The answer to both those questions is yes and while Swans fans will bemoan the deal being bypassed, it is also worth considering the plight Woods has found himself in.

He wanted to come, he had been sold on a senior role as a key player under Potter and Brentford were aware of his desire to leave Griffin Park and head to South Wales.

Bees boss Dean Smith revealed himself that the talk had unsettled the player at a time when his partner is close to having a baby.

Swans fans will be gutted he is not pulling on a white shirt, but the player himself must be similarly frustrated.

Potter and Kyle Macaulay had identified Woods as an ideal option to help them establish the style they want to play at Swansea, with Brentford themselves renowned for their attractive, passing philosophy.

There have been suggestions the deal could be revived as a loan with a view to buy but, even if it is, Woods must be very disappointed that it has come to this.

Did Brentford demand more money? Did that sink the deal?

This was a suggestion that began to filter out earlier this week, and Wales Online understands that the asking price did increase in the final days of the window.

The premise went that if Sam Clucas were to be sold, the money from that sale would be used to get the Woods deal over the line. Certainly that was the expectation.

But it should also be noted that, whatever the fee commanded for Clucas, there were fees received for Federico Fernandez and Jordi Amat on deadline day that would have been more than enough to get Woods signed had the club hierarchy so wished.

And that's before you look at the overall figures for the window, the notion that a late increase in price scuppered this deal is hard to accept as a legitimate reason given the thick end of £50million has been recouped in sales this summer.

The bottom line is the deal was there to be done in some way, shape or form, and Swansea baulked. The owners have since sought to outline the reasons for this and explain the overall approach this summer.

Chairman Huw Jenkins is usually at the centre of fans' disquiet, but this was a decision that was not down to him. The club's owners would not pay the fee required for a permanent deal.

Why was that the case?

It should be said that there was never any doubt Swansea were going to have to make severe cuts to cope with the task of rebuilding in the Championship.

Most supporters accept and understand that, and much of the anger being expressed now is not about the need to cut. The issue is more that there has been such little support to help Potter and the players left help Swansea become a genuinely competitive Championship proposition.

Potter and his staff were aware of the requirement for budgets to be slashed when they joined in June, and the shortfall in revenues from dropping out of the Premier League into the Championship are huge.

But there are also other factors. Swansea's poor recruitment in recent seasons had left them with players on big wages - even after relegation pay-cut clauses were factored in - yet who, by and large, had depreciated in value owing to difficult stints at the club.

So Sam Clucas ended up leaving for £6million less than a year after arriving as part of a £15million deal included the loss of Stephen Kingsley to Hull.

Roque Mesa was shifted for £7million just a year on from an £11million arrival, loan signings such as Renato Sanches and Tammy Abraham were big earners and decent-sized loan fees were paid. There are other examples where Swansea have lost money on signings.

Additionally, some clubs were willing to meet valuations for players but the players in question were not interested in moves to those clubs and eventually ended up leaving for less as there was seen to be little point in having players in place who did not want to be in SA1.

In terms of wages Wilfried Bony, one of the club's top earners, remains on the books with a few weeks left of the loan window. Some other bigger earners remain in situ.

Cash flow is also a factor that has to be considered. Transfer deals may be agreed for a publicised or undisclosed amount, but those sums are rarely handed over in one instalment.

So, for example, Swansea are likely to owe outstanding amounts of deals from the previous 12 months and further back.

Similarly, Swansea will still be awaiting sums from outgoing sales, and the manner in which that money flows in and out can make a difference, although it is hard to be certain of the state of affairs there as the most recent set of accounts - published earlier this year - are for the year ending July 2017.

So what's the answer?

But when supporters see a squad with one senior centre-back, one fit striker and only three fit midfielders, they are entitled to answers and a fuller picture of the situation at their club.

Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan have since sought to explain why deadline day ended in such demoralising fashion for the fanbase, and said they will seek to help Potter during the remaining days of the loan window, although some questions will remain.

Should Swansea successfully absorb the monetary losses from relegation, what happens in the seasons ahead as parachute payments decrease and eventually stop?

Will those further drops have to be absorbed through further sales and cuts in the playing staff? If so, how are the club to achieve promotion back to the Premier League?