Who is Swansea City’s new big-money signing Roque Mesa?
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It’s been a quiet summer thus far for Swansea City, but that’s all about to change with the imminent arrival of Roque Mesa from Las Palmas for around £11m.
It’s not a name many will be familiar with, so who is the new Swan?
The midfielder came through the youth ranks at Levante, before arriving at Las Palmas in 2010 via Huracan and Tenerife.
Mesa spent a few years in Los Pio-Pio’s B team, before breaking out into the senior squad in 2014.
He may have been a relatively late arrival into the first team at 25-years-old, but the Spaniard has been a vital part of Las Palmas’ efforts for the past three seasons.
In 2014-15 he played a crucial part in the side’s promotion into La Liga, including the opening goal in their promotion play-off final second-leg victory over Real Zaragoza.
And he hasn’t been fazed by the step up to the top tier either. In the last two terms the 28-year-old has racked up 69 La Liga appearances.
He missed just seven league games in that time, and his performances have gone on a long way to ensuring Las Palmas secure solid mid-table finishes.
A midfield enforcer, Mesa isn’t afraid to get stuck in, and has seen yellow 27 times in the last two seasons.
But he’s much more than a tough-tackling ball-winner however, and with five assists in the last two campaigns he knows how to pick out a pass too.
Mesa’s market value has reflected his rapid rise through the ranks. Rated at just £1.28m by transfermarkt.co.uk 16 months ago, The Telde-born ace is now valued almost 10 times as much at £10.2m.
And with a contract running until 2020, it looks like Swansea have actually done well to agree a deal for £11m.
A ball-winning midfielder with a keen eye for a pass, the arrival of Mesa should go a long way to ensuring the Swans don’t suffer another season-long fight against relegation.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
