Top scorer in last season’s Championship with 24 goals for Watford, Danny Graham was very much a man in demand come the close of the campaign. Despite reported interest from three other Premier League clubs, Brendan Rodgers’ Swansea have captured the forward in a £3.5m four-year deal that serves as a real statement intent from the new boys.
Rodgers has long been an admirer of Graham and a move for his services was put on ice until the club’s play-off triumph over Reading confirmed them as top-flight bound next season. Swans chairman Huw Jenkins announced the deal:
“We felt it was important to make sure we got in the right signing and we made sure Danny was our No.1 target. He is a player we have admired for quite some time and he knew that. We’re very, very pleased and excited to have brought him on board….He likes the way we play football, he knows Brendan well and he’s thrilled to be coming to the Premier League as we are thrilled he’s joining us. Danny’s spoken to Brendan at length and is looking forward to the challenge of the Premier League. There is no doubt he will strengthen our team for the new campaign.”
The Statistics
Graham has a wealth of experience in the lower leagues, with last season the eighth of his career despite the player’s relatively youthful age of twenty-five. As a youngster at Middlesboro he’s had a taste of the Premier League before, though limited game time saw fifteen appearances return just one goal.
Only in 2007-08 did he establish himself as a first-team player when, after being released by Middlesboro, Graham signed for Carlisle, making 91 League One appearance and scoring 30 Goals over two seasons, an average of 1 in 3. Snapped up by Watford on a free transfer with a compensation fee rising to £500K, Graham made the step up in class to Championship level look easy. 91 games for the Hornets brought 38 goals, with last season his best by some distance- he’s never scored more than 15 before; a clear indication of his development.
The Prospects
What’s clear is Rodgers has a definite eye for acquiring players who will fit into his 4-2-3-1 system with immediate success. The Irishman’s capture of Scott Sinclair last summer illustrated this perfectly; Sinclair had been loaned out to five different clubs by parent club Chelsea with virtually no success, but Rodgers -having worked with the player during his time at Stamford Bridge- immediately installed the winger to his first-team and Sinclair’s 22 goals and 3 assists were indicative of his manager’s faith.
Rodgers returned to Chelsea last January, acquiring Fabio Borini on loan with a similar level of success to Sinclair; the centre forward scored 6 goals in 9 games but even though his subsequent move to Parma left Swansea hunting for a new striker, Borini’s play afforded Swansea an extra element and highlighted just what type of qualities were needed up front to make Rodgers‘ system more efficient.
So what will Danny Graham give to Swansea? In the words of Watford boss Malky Mackay, talking towards the end of last season:
“He has been a thorn in the side of centre-backs in this division all season. In terms of his hunger, desire and application, he deserves everything he gets. Players know who they don’t like facing, or who gives them a hard time, and I’m pretty sure he would be on a lot of people’s lists…I’m delighted for him that he’s getting the goals – and the plaudits – which his hard work has merited. He’s not just a poacher, he’s a team player. He will chase down an entire back four to help us regain possession, and when we’ve got the ball nobody makes more unselfish runs.”
A look at his past scoring history suggests Graham tends to be a real form player who embarks on scoring streaks and droughts in equal measure; in 2008/09 he grabbed 13 goals between August and December but netted only 2 more times that season. Last year saw him equal Watford’s record for goals in successive games, with Graham scoring in seven games on the trot. Under Rodgers, though, he’ll be playing in a team that loves to attack; Swansea scored almost two goals per home game last term but, having just joined the club, Graham will come to the Premier League unproven, with question marks against his Fantasy potential.
In addition to his 24 goals last term, Graham picked up 11 assists, meaning he played a part in 35 of Watford’s 77 goals last season ( 45%), an indication of what he will offer to his new club. He won’t be on spot-kicks for the Swans, though; that duty belongs to Sinclair.
Last year, the highest-priced forward for a promoted club came in at 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL). The success of Andy Carroll, Peter Odemwingie and DJ Campbell, however, may cause a price re-think but Graham seems likely to start on the 5.0 mark, with even 4.5 a possibility. If Rodgers’ team take to the division in a style similar to Blackpool, he could easily replicate the returns of DJ Campbell (120+ pts) from last season, with Swansea’s strong home form (they lost just 3 times and had a Goal Difference of +30) suggesting Graham could be worth a look when games at the Liberty Stadium come around.
