Having already acquired Lukas Fabianski from Arsenal, Swansea City dipped into the summer transfer market for the second time last week by snapping up Bafetimbi Gomis from French outfit Lyon on a free transfer. The 28-year-old arrives at the Liberty Stadium on a four-year contract and upon completion of the deal, revealed he had rejected the advances of a number of clubs in order to sign for Garry Monk’s side:
“I’ve been really impressed speaking with the manager and the chairman over the last few days. They showed they really wanted me – and that’s one of the main reasons I chose Swansea ahead of the other interested clubs. They’ve been trying for over a year to sign me. It didn’t quite happen back then, but they kept trying and I’m absolutely delighted to be here now…..I watched a number of games last season and I think the style will suit me. It’s a collective, passing approach which I like. I think the way the team play creates lots of chances for the striker and hopefully I can score plenty of goals.”
The History
A product of the Saint-Etienne youth system, the six foot one frontman made his debut back in the 2003-04 season. Midway through the following campaign, having produced two goals in his first 19 appearances, Gomis was sent on loan to French club Troyes, when he scored six times in 13 league matches before returning to his parent club.
Back at Saint-Etienne, he notched just twice in 24 appearances in 2005-06 before finally establishing himself as a first-team regular. A total of 26 goals and eight assists over the following two seasons attract the interest of a number of European clubs but, after a further 10 goals and six assists in 2008-09, Gomis choose to remain in France after moving to Lyon for €13 million.
The 28-year-old proved a reliable source of goals at his new team and served up double figure hauls (10, 10, 14, 14 and 14) in all five of his league campaigns for Lyon. Over his time with the club, he netted 94 times and delivered 23 assists over 243 appearances in all competitions and caught the eye of the French national side, where he has scored three goals in 12 appearances for Les Bleus.
The Prospects
Discussing the new boy’s potential with the Swansea official website, Garry Monk was understandably delighted to acquire Gomis ahead of a number of suitors. Aside from Wilfried Bony, the Welsh club struggled for goals last season – Jonjo Shelvey and Nathan Dyer were second most prolific on six strikes each, whilst Michu struggled for form and fitness in his second year in the Premier League and netted a mere two times in 17 league appearances as the club ended in 12th position – nine points clear of the bottom three. Monk went on to say:
“I’m very happy. You are talking about a quality striker who has played international, Champions League and top flight football in France for a big club. It’s a fantastic signing; a very big and important signing for the club. It shows just how far we have come that we can attract a player of his quality. He’s a player that can excite the crowd, make and score goals. He’s always done that wherever he’s been – and that’s what we want him to keep doing here. We want him to be an important cog in the squad and help us to continue building.”
If Monk manages to keep both Bony and Michu on the books, fitting all three into the starting line-up may pose problems unless a change of formation is on the cards. It’s worth noting, though, that the French international flourished as part of a front two last term, with Lyon’s 4-1-2-1-2 system helping them claim fifth spot in Ligue 1 – bearing in mind his fellow frontman Alexandre Lacazette notched 15 times, Gomis clearly has the ability to play in a strike partnership or as the lone forward.
However, Swansea’s penchant for a lone striker system means Gomis’ arrival understandably has the rumour mill in overdrive. Michu has been linked with a move away, amid reports he’s under Atletico Madrid and Napoli’s radars, whilst Bony’s 16-goal debut season has many suitors circling – Liverpool and Arsenal are both eyeing up the Ivorian, while long-time admirer Roberto Martinez is desperately needing to boost Everton’s options up front after Romelu Lukaku returned to parent club Chelsea at the end of last term.
As we assess Swansea’s prospects for the season ahead, Monk’s impact as the new man in charge bodes well for their prospects in the final third. Taking over from Michael Laudrup in Gameweek 25 of 2013/14, his focus on attack harvested 25 goals in the final 14 league games – by comparison, the Welsh club mustered just 29 strikes in 24 games under the Dane. Indeed, further assessment shows Swansea scored two or more goals in nine of their 24 matches with Laudrup at the helm; a feat they achieved in eight of Monk’s 14 matches, with three strikes away to Liverpool and two against Everton and Arsenal underlining their ability to deliver against the top sides.
The newly-released Premier League fixture list also looks promising for Swansea’s chances of getting off to a strong start. Granted, whilst trips to Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge in the first four are far from straightforward, the Welsh club entertain Burnley, West Brom, Southampton, Newcastle and Leicester in their opening five home matches, suggesting goals could be on the agenda.
Ultimately, it would be a surprise for Monk to move away from the tactical set-up which has served the club so well in recent years. With Bony once again amongst the goals for Ivory Coast in the World Cup, many feel that, as his profile continues to grow, the African’s departure seems imminent – until that point arrives, though, it’s difficult to look beyond the Ivorian as our preferred Swansea option after last season’s exploits. A potential departure, however, would change all that and surely bring Gomis onto many Fantasy radars ahead of that enticing run of home fixtures.
