Michael Laudrup finally ended Swansea’s search for a first-choice forward earlier this week by signing Wilfried Bony from Vitesse Arnhem for a club record fee of £12m. The 24-year-old – who has been linked with the Welsh club all summer – arrives at the Liberty on a four-year contract and is the seventh acquisition over the close-season as Laudrup sets about restructuring his first-team squad.
After completing a medical at the Swans’ Dutch-based training camp, Bony (whose nickname in Holland is “Daddy Cool”) revealed he turned down a number of suitors to sign up at Swansea, citing the club’s style of play and choice of manager as influential to his decision:
“This move has been talked about for quite some time, so I am delighted it is all completed. I watched Swansea a lot last season on TV. They have some good players and I like the way they play. I appreciate the style, which is similar to the Dutch way, and I think being at Swansea will help me develop as a player. I believe it’s the right step for me; the perfect move. I had a lot of offers from all across the world, including England, France, Ukraine, Russia and the UAE. But I chose Swansea because it is a good club with a corresponding style, a great manager and, of course, playing in the Premier League. I considered everything and Swansea came out on top.”
The History
Bony’s career began in his native Ivory Coast with Issia Wazi back in 2006. After failing a trial at Liverpool a year later, the six foot striker was snapped up by Czech club Sparta Prague, where he produced 22 goals and five assists in 59 league matches, in addition to scoring 11 times in 20 European matches in all competitions.
Moving to Holland midway through the 2010/11 campaign, Bony scored three times in seven appearances for Arnhem and installed as a first-team regular the following year, he racked up 17 goals and eight assists from 32 league and play-off matches. With his eye for goal flourishing, the Ivorian bagged 31 goals and eight assists from 30 league matches last term, including a run where he scored a total of 15 times in 10 consecutive matches. Thanks to his endeavours, Bony was voted Dutch Player of the Year and also picked up the accolade of top scorer in the Eredivisie for 2012/13, helping his side to a fourth place finish. The 24-year-old has also turned out for his country on 20 occasions and has found the net eight times.
The Prospects
Bony’s all-round game makes him the ideal fit as the lone forward for Laudrup’s 4-2-3-1 formation. The powerfully-built Ivorian is tailor-made to lead the line, with his aerial ability, speed and technique, allied with a poacher’s eye for goal inside the area, affording the Swans an extra edge up top for the season ahead. While last term was all about Michu from a Fantasy perspective, it’s clear the Swans were a little too reliant on the Spaniard to deliver – only two players (Jonathan de Guzman and Wayne Routledge, with five apiece) found the net more than three times, compared to Michu’s 18-goal debut season haul.
Another significant aspect of Bony’s arrival is Laudrup will no longer have to field Michu up front. Having sold Danny Graham to Sunderland in the winter transfer window, the Swansea boss utilised his star man as a forward on a number of occasions in the latter part of 2012/13 – as a result, Michu managed just five goals from the turn of the year onwards. While many cited a loss of form, it’s more likely that he’s far better suited to the role in “the hole”, timing his runs from a deeper position to better effect – as the spearhead of the attack, the Spaniard is easier for defenders to read.
If Swansea prevail in their upcoming Europa League qualifiers, there’s every chance we could see a little more rest and rotation for the season ahead. Certainly, as the number one forward, Bony will surely be afforded the vast majority of starts, with Laudrup perhaps using Michu as back-up forward on occasion and allowing the likes of Jonjo Shelvey a chance as the most advanced central midfielder, as he alternates his two main attacking assets on occasion. The Swans boss has also revealed to the club’s website he is “still looking for one more striker who can offer us something different again”, suggesting his summer shopping spree is not yet finished.
In Fantasy terms, Michu’s classification will play a major part in how Bony is assessed. Both the Sky Sports and Sun Dream Team games have already listed the Spaniard as a forward; intriguingly, he’s costlier than Bony in both games, by 8.8 to 8.0 and 4.5 to 3.5 respectively. If Fantasy Premier League (FPL) mirrors this decision and also hands the pair relatively similar costs, we’ve a real dilemma on our hands but the hope is that Michu will remain a midfielder in FPL – given he played most of his matches there last term – while Bony will come in around the 7.5 mark; a tempting cost for those on the hunt for a mid-price forward.
Swansea’s opening few fixtures may be enough to deter initial investment, though. With United, Liverpool and Arsenal the first three visitors to the Liberty, in addition to a trip to Spurs in Gameweek 2, Laudrup’s men have anything but a straightforward start; only a visit to Palace looking tempting in their first six. From Gameweek 8 the schedule eases considerably, however, and will surely bring the Swans firmly back onto our radars once again.
