Stats stack up for Swans signing striving to avoid flop tag
Published:According to reports from Holland, Swansea have signed Vitesse goal-getter Wilfred Bony for a club record-breaking £10.2m.
The move is one thought to appease manager Michael Laudrup who had become disgruntled with the limited transfer budget available to him in South Wales.
But it is a risky move by the former Barcelona player, with Premier League raids on Eredivisie centre-forwards often proving to be hit and miss.
The 24-year-old Ivorian boasts an impressive record for the Arnheim club, scoring 65 times in 46 appearances. However, impressive performances in the lesser Dutch league cannot be taken at face value, as Middlesbrough fans will only know too well.
On 31st of January 2008, the north-east side smashed their transfer record for Afonso Alves after scoring an incredible 45 goals in 39 games for Heerenveen. Capped eight times for his country, he was the third Brazilian after Romario and Ronaldo to top the Eredivisie scoring charts.
And he started well. With a brace against Manchester United and a 25-yard free-kick against Stoke, Boro thought they were on to a winner.
However, the following season, Alves netted just four times as Boro went down. He looked lightweight and slow up against powerful Premier League centre-halves and lost all confidence after a baron spell. In the end, Boro did well to recoup £7m by shipping him off to Qatari side Al-Sadd.
Chelsea fans would have been similarly buoyed when they signed Mateja Kezman from PSV. The Serbian scored 105 times in 122 games in Holland and was one of the first signings after the Abramovic revolution.
Unfortunately, like Alves, Kezman just did not have a lot about him. Poor movement, a lack of pace and a poor work ethic meant he only scored four times in 25 games for the London club before leaving for Spain.
Luckily for Swansea fans, Bony looks to be more than a pure finisher like the other two. A dynamic and powerful centre-forward, Bony scored all sorts of goals from inside and outside the box as Vitesse finished fourth last year.
Only time will tell though and the Swans will be hoping for less Kezman, more Suarez when he turns out at the Liberty next year.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
