Swansea City captain Ashley Williams has declared that the club's pre-season preparations have been exemplary due to increased competition for places at the Liberty Stadium.

Manager Michael Laudrup has added six new faces to his squad this summer, including Jonjo Shelvey and club-record signing Wilfried Bony.

Williams told The Mirror: "I'm really excited and I'm almost scared to admit that I think we're going to be good this season. I don't want to jinx it. We've progressed every year but I've never had a pre-season this good before.

"We've scored a lot of goals and haven't conceded many. It couldn't have gone better. The new boys have fitted straight in and I've never known this level of competition for places here before. I'm a big fan of Jonjo's and you can see what Wilfried brings to the team.

"He's a great focal point for us attacking-wise and we haven't had that sort of physical presence up front since Jason Scotland in the Championship. I'm sure when he gets up to speed and knows Michu's game, those two are going to be a big threat."

Laudrup's side cruised to a 4-0 victory in their first competitive match of the season, with Bony bagging a debut brace in a Europa League qualifier against Malmo.