Michael Laudrup continued his restructuring of the Swansea first-team squad late last week by snapping up Ki Sung-Yueng from Glasgow Celtic on a three-year contract. The South Korean arrives for a club record undisclosed fee and, having been granted international clearance, made his debut for the in-form Welsh club in this evening’s Carling Cup match with Barnsley:
Ki is the fourth signing of the summer, following Jonathan De Guzman, Chico and Michu to the club as Laudrup quickly puts his own stamp on the Liberty Stadium outfit. With money to spend, Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins took time out to explain the arrival of the highly-rated 23 year old:
Having lost Joe Allen recently, it was vital that we invested the money wisely by bringing quality young footballers into the club with potential to grow further. Ki fulfils that criteria and everyone in the football club is excited about the prospect of him playing and developing with us. His tactical awareness and quality has been there for everyone to see, especially playing for his country, and he is well suited to our style of football.
The Statistics
The 6 foot 2 central midfielder’s career began in his native country with FC Seoul in the 2007-08 campaign. Over three seasons at the club, he made 64 appearances and scored seven times, with the highlight proving to be a runners-up spot in the J-League in 2008. Ki made his way to Celtic midway through the 2009-10 campaign, with the Glasgow giants beating off interest from the likes PSV and Porto to acquire his services for £2.1m.
Ki’s first half-season at Parkhead was clearly a bedding-in exercise as he adapted to the more physical Scottish Premier League – he managed a couple of assists over his 10 league appearances for Neil Lennon’s side but the following term he established himself as a key member of the Hoops’ first-team. Three goals and four assists in the 2010-11 season was comfortably exceeded last time round as Ki produced six goals and six assists to help Celtic clinch the Premier League title and earn himself the South Korean Footballer of the Year for 2011 award. The Swansea new boy has already featured for his country on 47 occasions, finding the net five times.
The Prospects
Known as the “Korean Steven Gerrardâ€, Ki has plenty of quality attributes in his locker. His strong work ethic in the centre of the park, allied with superb distribution from deep and long range shooting, looks the perfect fit for Laudrup’s burgeoning side.
While the new man in charge has altered the roles of the two Swansea wide men to devastating effect so far, the 4-3-3 formation is sure to be maintained – bearing in mind that Ki is the club’s record buy, you’d expect him to be earmarked for a regular role under Laudrup. With Michu firmly established as the advanced central midfielder in support of Danny Graham, it’s likely that Ki will take over from either Jonathan De Guzman or Leon Britton as one of the two deep-lying Swans midfielders. De Guzman’s versatility means he could be shifted to the wing – with Scott Sinclair on the verge of leaving, the Dutchman could vie with Wayne Routledge for the left flank berth. Alternatively, De Guzman could remain in a more defensive role, with Britton making way for the South Korean instead.
Yet to be added to the Fantasy games, Ki’s defensive midfield role is likely to earn him a mid-price valuation across the board. FPL-wise, a price of around 5.5 seems the likeliest scenario; while his set-piece capabilities also boost to his appeal, it’s unlikely Ki will find a way in many Fantasy teams at the moment, with Michu and Nathan Dyer the obvious targets in Laudrup’s free-scoring midfield.
With Swansea afforded four home fixtures (SUN, EVE, RDG, WIG) in the next six Gameweeks, however, Ki will be afforded plenty opportunity to impress – in the current Fantasy climate, all it may take is a trademark 30-yarder from the South Korean for another Liberty bandwagon to start rolling.
