The former Dundee United academy chief officially started his new role with the Swans on Monday

"We could rest on our laurels given the success we’ve had so far or we could push the boundaries again.

"It’s in our nature to push the boundaries."

It's March 2022, and Andy Goldie is painting out his vision for Dundee United's efforts for youth development. At the time, the club had announced plans to re-develop the academy facilities at the club's Gussie Park complex, the latest crowning achievement in a hugely successful three-year stint.

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Under his tenure, United would break their record for their youngest player three times, while last season alone saw an impressive 16 academy products make the step up to the first team.

Fast forward five months or so, and the man who once helped develop Chelsea star Bill Gilmour is this week starting work at one of Welsh football's most fruitful talent factories.

There's little point in further emphasising the success of Swansea's academy over the years. To do so would only be for the benefit of those living under a rock. And even then, the chances are they've at least heard of Joe Allen.

Goldie's predecessor Jon Grey, who is set to return to his natural habitat on the training ground as part of this latest reshuffle, recently outlined some of the challenges the academy has faced in recent years, and indeed some of the ambitions for the future. You can read more about that here.

Even after losing its Category One status, there is a weight of expectation on the shoulders of anyone who walks through the door at Landore. But given his impressive CV, Goldie has his own sky-high expectations to live up to.

“We have a very clear vision to produce and develop Champions League players," was the ambitious pledge to the local media in Dundee last season.

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It perhaps seemed farfetched to some, but Scott Burns , sports writer at the Daily Record, believes he wasn't too far away from making that a reality.

"There are regularly Premier League scouts up here watching Dundee United," he explains. "And much of that is down to Andy.

"Kerr Smith, who recently signed for Aston Villa, was only 16 when he made his Dundee United debut. Worth well over a million pounds.

"If they're getting a shot in the first team at 16, 17, he's obviously setting them up well.

"There's a few in the first team right now too. Ross Graham, the central defender, there's a lot of clubs looking at him now. There's young Rory MacLeod, who's 16 and Rangers have tried to sign, while several Premier League clubs are also interested.

"So there's definitely players there who can get to a very high level. Andy probably could get his hands on players who will eventually go on to play in the Champions League. He's certainly very good at polishing rough diamonds into gems, so I certainly don't think it's beyond the realms of possibility."

The Champions League, barring a truly remarkable and unprecedented rise, is unlikely to be within the grasp of Swansea any time soon, but Goldie is clearly already looking upwards in his new role.

He said recently: “The purpose is very obvious, you look at the success of the Welsh national team, the number of academy graduates we have in that squad. It adds a bit of pressure but, if anything, we want to build on that. We’ll work closely with the FAW to maintain that success.

“You can see there’s real ambition amongst the staff to produce even better-quality players than what we’ve produced in the past.

“I think when you’ve got a manager like Russell Martin, who plays in the style that aligns with what I believe in, that can be a really powerful thing.”

Martin's footballing philosophy has been dragged further under the microscope following a lukewarm start to the season, but he remains admirably steadfast in his belief in the process - a process that places huge emphasis on the importance of the collective, from the first team all the way down to through the age grades.

Having observed his methods at Tannadice, Burns thinks Goldie's view of the game will marry up nicely with that of the Swans boss.

"He's hands on, but also capable of giving instructions," he added. "He's not one to shout and scream or anything. He's a very approachable guy. Most of the parents like him. Most of the kids like him and that's important. Youngsters are attracted to that.

"They had programmes and strategies in place at Dundee United of how they want to do things. How they want to develop players. How they want them to play. There's a lost of individual work. There's no stone left unturned really. They look to improve their weaknesses and make them better and stronger psychologically. So a lot happens on an individual level after the normal training on the training pitch.

"I think he's quite similar to Martin in the way he sees the academy players coming through. A lot of them are very good technically. Very good on the ball. Pass and move that sort of thing. At times at Dundee United they've been had to be pragmatic and very defensive, which didn't really help a lot of the young players coming through, but last season under Tam Courts, they played a lot more football.

"A lot of what they do now is based on playing good football and that probably fits in with Swansea's philosophy."

Developing players for success on the pitch is one thing, but there's another more pointed reason why the Scot might well have proved an attractive proposition to the Swans. The financial impact of relegation from the Premier League has been pretty well documented, with Swansea having to sell various items of the family silver in order to plug the holes in their finances.

Joe Rodon, Daniel James, Oli McBurnie and Connor Roberts have all been moved on for tidy sums in recent years, making the academy an attractive source of much-needed income for the club.

It's a model Goldie himself is all too familiar with, having been part of a similar operation in his previous job.

Before trading Dundee United for Villa, Kerr Smith attracted interest from a number of Premier League sides, even training with Manchester United before securing an exit. Scott Banks is another one to have made the jump to the big time with Crystal Palace, while several others have been handed a chance lower down the English pyramid.

“The academy business model is now in profit," Goldie proudly boasted back in March. From the point of view of an ownership obsessed with the purse strings, it's easy to see to the attraction.

"The youth academy and youth set-up is very important to Dundee United's business model," Burns explains. "Like Swansea, they've got an American owner in Mark Ogren. At the heart of his plan, the bedrock, was producing young players.

"That's why Andy was brought in three years ago. They wanted a regular supply of young players into the first team. Then, obviously once they'd played for a few years in the first team, they'd sell them on.

"That's been the model that's been put in place."

Of course, balancing the books doesn't get fans excited. Success on the pitch will be how Swansea's overall operations will be measured. The pressure for progress on both fronts will be far greater than what was seen at Tannadice, with Goldie having to balance the demands of a board looking for ways to increase the club's financial sustainability, and a fanbase longing for a return to the big time.

However, having followed his project at Dundee United, Burns is in no doubt that this is a challenge he will relish.

"Pressure won't be anything new to Andy," he added. "Bear in mind, there was pressure at Dundee United too to bring players through that they could sell and get a return.

"I know it's a step up going to the English Championship, but he has an eye for knowing when players are ready. From the outside, it seems a similar job and similar business model to Dundee United, albeit on a bigger scale with bigger budgets.

"I think he'll deliver."

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