Championship: Swansea City 1-2 Huddersfield Town

“I’m not going for look at anything for the defeat other than the players who took to the field today.”

In some respects, it was an admirable stance from Steve Cooper. A refusal to blame an inevitably distracting few days on his team’s unbeaten Championship run being ended by Huddersfield.

But primarily, it was a blunt message to journalists in his post-match press conference that he was in no mood to discuss the dealings seemingly going on stratospheres above his head.

Joel Latibeaudiere, Ryan Bennett, Ryan Manning and Kasey Palmer (loan) joined the ranks this week. All are useful additions, even if the latter’s signing appears an urgent reaction to the three month injury of Morgan Gibbs-White.

In-keeping with Swansea City in modern times though, taking four small steps forward in the transfer market was countered by taking 11 million ones back.

“I wasn’t involved in the negotiations,” he said, pointedly, about the departure of Joe Rodon to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee way deemed bizarrely low in the modern transfer market.

“I don’t make those decisions on amounts of players coming in or out. I just give my view and that’s what I’ve done.

“In terms of fees, salaries, contracts, things like that, that’s not my remit. I didn’t want him to go. Who would want one of their biggest assets to leave?

“Whatever I feel about it (the fee) is irrelevant because he’s gone. My commitment now is the players who are here and that’s why I’m angry now. Because we’ve lost.”

Worth noting Cooper was also full of praise for the way the 22-year-old conducted himself during his final days at the club, but his frustrations at the distance between his opinions and the actions of owners Jason Kaplan and Steve Levein continue to simmer, somewhat indiscreetly.

And what Cooper could have done without, just a day after Rodon departing, was a defeat underpinned by lax defending.

The Swans wasted numerous chances too, both Marc Guehi and Jamal Lowe being denied by away keeper Ben Hamer before Harry Toffolo put Huddersfield ahead from a well worked corner.

Andre Ayew levelled from the spot before half time after Korey Smith was fouled by Hamer, but midway through the second half it was Josh Koroma who was given an eternity to drive a low shot past Woodman and into the bottom corner.

Ayew, Jamal Lowe, and sub Palmer wasted opportunities to level it thereafter, as Swansea fell to a first Championship defeat of the season.

An intense period of six games in 18 days for Cooper’s squad now lies ahead, starting with Coventry City away on Tuesday. The new reinforcements will be needed.

A prize asset leaving for an underwhelming fee, other transfer targets missed due to a lack of funds, some shrewd signings made, a manager undermined, and the incompetence of the owners exposed. And then to cap it, a good run of form ended by a surprise home defeat.

On paper, much has changed at the club this week.

Swansea fans, like Cooper, will feel nothing has changed.