After agreeing to sell last season’s top goalscorer Fernando Llorente to Spurs, Swansea City moved to replace the Spaniard by re-signing Wilfried Bony from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee, believed to be worth in the region of £12 million.
The 28-year-old inked a two-year deal with the Swans, with the option of a further year’s extension, and according to head coach Paul Clement can get his career back on track in south Wales:
“To bring Wilfried back to the club where he did so well is very pleasing for everyone… Even though his career has not taken the path that he wanted over the past two seasons, we are confident we can get the best out of him again. I sense a real hunger and determination in him to kick on after a frustrating two seasons.”
The History
Bony’s footballing journey began at the Cyrille Domoraud Academy in his native Ivory Coast, before he started his professional career at Issia Wazi in his homeland.
He then joined Czech side Sparta Prague on loan in October 2007, which became a permanent move in the summer of 2008.
The striker enjoyed a successful two-and-a-half year stint at the club, scoring 33 goals and adding five assists in 79 matches in all competitions.
In January 2011, Bony joined Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, and it was there where his career really took off.
He registered 58 goals and 18 assists in 77 matches in all competitions, establishing himself as of one the leading strikers in the Eredivisie.
It was those performances that persuaded Swansea to shell out a then club-record transfer fee of £12 million to sign the striker in July 2013.
He supplied 26 goals and six assists in 54 league appearances for the Welsh outfit before securing a £28 million move to Manchester City in January 2015.
But the Ivorian struggled to establish himself at the Etihad and only managed six goals and four assists from 36 league outings.
He spent last season on loan at Stoke City, producing just two goals, both ironically coming against Swansea, in 10 matches.
Bony made his international debut for Ivory Coast against Burundi in October 2010 and has scored 15 goals in 52 appearances for his country.
The Prospects
While Bony’s first stint in south Wales was a resounding success, it’s the fact he’s played so little football in the intervening two-and-a-half year period that is a major concern.
A powerful centre forward, Bony looks at his best when starting week-in-week-out to build up his sharpness.
Capable of holding off defenders to maintain possession for his side, the Ivorian is adept at linking with team-mates and possesses a powerful shot.
He is also strong in the air, and if he can possibly return to the levels reached during his first spell at the Liberty, he could be the ideal foil for either Tammy Abraham or Jordan Ayew.
Clement has used both 4-1-2-1-2 and 3-1-4-2 formations so far this season, and given the lack of quality options in the wide positions, he looks set to play with two strikers in the majority of matches.
Ayew’s work-rate was crucial to the Swans’ success during the second half of last season – ranking joint-fourth among FPL forwards for successful tackles with 14.
But the Ghanaian’s poor goal return, scoring just twice in 17 league appearances for the Swans, means he looks the most under threat from Bony’s return.
Abraham opened his account for the Welsh club in the 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace before the international break and leads the way for total shots (six) and close-range efforts (five) among Swansea players this season.
In the long term, Bony and Abraham could combine as the first choice front pairing, providing the former can rediscover fitness and form.
But having been frozen out by Man City during pre-season, Bony will surely need time to build up his fitness levels, and as both Abraham and Ayew got on the scoresheet in a win last time out, they will certainly be expected to retain their starts for the Gameweek 4 home meeting with Newcastle United.
Significantly, that fixture begins a run of very kind home matches (NEW WAT HUD LEI BHA BOU WBA) for Clement’s side.
Bony has been handed a price tag of just 6.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and 9.8 in Sky Sports. But at 5.5 and 8.6, Abraham is already offering potentially strong value and is found in just 3% of FPL squads.
One factor that could give Bony the edge is that he is likely to assume penalty kick duties.
He successfully converted all five of his Premier League spot-kicks during his first stint at Swansea and may be favoured over Abraham, who had a high-profile miss in the shoot-out which saw England U21s lose to Germany in the semi-final of the UEFA U21 Championship this summer.
One concern regarding all of Swansea’s forward options is the fact they have managed fewer goal attempts (16) and close-range efforts (11) than any other side over the opening three Gameweeks.
They also rank bottom for chances created (10) and having sold Gylfi Sigurdsson to Everton; they could lack creativity from midfield. Renato Sanches – while a high profile midfield signing – may not be equipped to be a major influence in that respect.
So while the upcoming schedule is kind, the ceiling for Clement’s attackers could be limited.
But it’s vital for the Swans that one of Bony or Abraham now fill the void left by Llorente, who scored 15 league goals last season.
If one of that pair can step up, they look destined to be a factor in our seasons, given the price tags involved.
Bony has to be monitored, then, with Abraham our preferred option in the short-term.
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