Can we now look forward?

After an unspectacular, but very important win at the Liberty Stadium last night, Swansea have moved out of the Premier League relegation zone and into 17th place in the table.

A good result, but little cause for celebration at this moment.

The biggest cheer from Swans fans now would almost certainly come from the news that a prolific - or at least a capable - striker had been signed. Even a goal-scoring winger or attacking midfielder. Someone who could put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis!

But what kind of news are we getting at the moment?

Swansea are after… Joe Allen. And that’s just depressing. On Sunday, news emerged that the club were looking at a bid for the former midfielder - an ‘emotional return’ in the region of £8million.

In 2012 Allen obediently followed Brendan Rodgers to Liverpool, but neither men made the impacts they wanted in Merseyside.

And while Allen is a good player and was influential in Swansea’s rise to the Premier League, giving a defensive midfielder a second chance is not going to automatically save Swansea.

What concerns me the most is the fact we are looking backwards for players like Allen and managers like Rodgers. We might as well bring back Dorus de Vries and Darren Pratley - get a good Championship reunion on the go!

Of course, these are just rumours at this stage, but I can think of better uses of £8million than Joe Allen…

Thankfully some things are moving in the right direction, with the accrual of former Palermo and Udinese manager Francesco Guidolin to work alongside Alan Curtis as a coach a considerable step in the right direction - forward.

But movement in the transfer window is now the most important thing that can happen. We are approaching the final week of January and still no new players.

Swansea desperately need a striker to replace the consistently poor Bafetimbi Gomis. Perhaps two strikers, for depth - but one proficient player will do for now.

As fans have pointed out, perhaps a really solid defender is also as important. The club have been leaking goals over the past few months, and keeping a clean sheet will almost be as important as scoring over the new few months.

But please - let’s not look at old faces for either of these roles, otherwise we should just give Alan Tate and Garry Monk a call.