Swansea City pulled off one of the most eye-catching moves of the summer transfer window with the deadline day signing of Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches on a season-long loan.
Head coach Paul Clement’s time as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Bayern proved pivotal in securing the services of the Portugal international.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Clement reckons that the new arrival will need little time to settle:
“He is one of Europe’s elite young talents who has already achieved a lot for his age, including winning Euro 2016 with Portugal. Having moved from Benfica to Bayern Munich, he has not played as much as he would have liked. But this move to Swansea and the Premier League will provide him with a real positive development experience. As a player, he is a dynamic, powerful central midfielder who I believe has all the attributes to suit the Premier League.’’
The History
Sanches linked up with the Benfica academy at the age of nine and progressed to make his professional debut in a Primeira Liga match against Tondela in October 2015.
He made 24 appearances in his maiden campaign for the Portuguese side, totalling two goals and one assist and helping them to a league and cup double.
After making a big impression at Euro 2016, winning the Young Player of the Tournament award as Portugal triumphed, Sanches earned a big-money move to Bayern.
But he struggled to establish himself under Ancelotti, featuring just 17 times in the league and managing just six starts, which failed to produce a single goal or assist.
The midfielder has represented Portugal at every youth level from Under 15 to Under 21, scoring eight goals in 43 outings, and made his senior debut against Bulgaria in March 2016.
He has turned out 13 times for his country, registering one goal and one assist, and was named the winner of the 2016 Golden Boy award.
The Prospects
While the signing of Sanches represents a coup for a club of the stature of Swansea, the midfielder’s underwhelming attacking returns during his albeit brief career means that he has much to prove in Fantasy terms.
The Portugal international has been handed a kindly price tag of 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), although he far steeper on the budget in Sky Sports at 8.8.
So far this season, Clement has used both a 4-1-2-1-2 midfield diamond and a 3-1-4-2 formation, and could potentially also look at fielding a 3-4-1-2.
Tom Carroll and Leroy Fer have started all three leagues matches, while Sam Clucas made his debut in the Gameweek 3 victory over Crystal Palace.
Leon Britton, Roque Mesa and Wayne Routledge have also earned starts in midfield, while Ki Sung-yeung is set to return from a knee injury over the next few weeks.
Essentially, then, Clement has a variety of midfield options to choose from and, given his flexible tactical approach, players could be easily interchanged depending on the respective strengths of the opposition.
In terms of Sanches, he will provide the Welsh club with an injection of energy and tireless running in the middle of the park, with an ability to get from box-to-box.
He also has a good range of passing, although at Bayern he lacked the confidence to spray the ball around as he did for his country at Euro 2016.
The midfielder is also deceptively strong and likes to shoot from long-range – 10 of his 12 goals attempts last season came from outside the box.
So far this season, it’s Carroll who has found favour as a cheap fifth midfield option.
He’s valued at just 4.5 in FPL and, as the primary set-piece taker, offers decent upside at that price.
But while the 6.2%-owned midfielder looked a sure starter when the season got underway, the additions of Clucas and Sanches have placed some doubt over his security of starts.
It’s likely the Carroll should retain his place in the side – certainly in the short term if Sanches isn’t rushed into action – but given the midfield resources available to Clement, it may only take a bad performance or two to see him lose out.
That would be unfortunate for FPL managers as Swansea’s fixtures are pretty strong for the upcoming period.
They host Newcastle United in Gameweek 4 before facing a testing match-up against Spurs at Wembley a week later.
The Swans then embark on a great run of matches (WAT whu HUD LEI ars BHA bur BOU), with their home fixtures particularly appealing.
A lack of impact in the final third is a real concern, however.
In a nutshell, the Welsh side are ranked bottom for shots (16), efforts in the box (11), attempts on target (four) and key passes (10) over the opening three Gameweeks.
If Clement can restore Sanches’ confidence levels, the midfielder should be a real asset this season.
But whether he can offer a viable threat in the final third remains to be seen, with his best work often done in deeper areas.
There looks no need to rush into investing in the Portugal international, although that lofty reputation has already persuaded over 51,000 managers to invest.
Carroll remains the stand-out pick from the Swansea midfield, but forward Tammy Abraham and, potentially, Wilfried Bony – if he can rediscover his cutting edge at the Liberty – could be the major beneficiaries should Clement’s side profit from that encouraging schedule.
