Why Swansea's Ayew will be a bigger hit than Aston Villa's
In the past week it has been rare to not find a story in one of the newspapers about a Ghanaian footballer called Jordan Ayew and how he is the man given the difficult role of filling Christian Benteke’s boots at Aston Villa.
Whilst Jordan will no doubt be a decent addition to that Villa squad, it is another member of the Ayew family that is going to take the Premier League by storm next season – his brother Andre.
Andre recently signed for Swansea City on a free transfer after reaching the end of his contract at French side Marseille.
The deal is a massive coup for the Swans. Ayew is highly thought of in European football and was linked to the likes of Liverpool, Roma, Spurs and Borussia Dortmund, before choosing to move to the Liberty Stadium.
The fact he turned some of those sides down should speak volumes about the progress the Welsh side have made in recent years. Only 10 years ago they were playing football in League Two and could only dream of moments like this.
Although only 25 years of age, it seems as if the the Ghana international has been around for forever. He has already amassed 63 caps for his country and will no doubt go on to become the captain of his national side, once Asamoah Gyan calls time on his international career.
Club wise the player is also very experienced, not only has he featured in the French premier division, Marseille have been regular participants of the Champions League and Europa League competitions. Ayew would have played against many of Europe’s top players and this experience will serve him well in English football.
The forward was a focal point of his former side. During his time with Marseille he became a vital part of the first team squad, often one of the first names on the team sheet.
Although considered a midfielder, the Ghanaian is known for his versatility. He possesses the key physical and mental attributes needed to be able to handle a number of different roles on the pitch.
At Marseille he was used in a number of different roles – attacking midfielder, winger, central midfielder and a striker. This is great for Gary Monk as it gives the Swansea boss a number of different options to work with and the ability to change up tactics to suit the flow of a game.
The 25-year-old is a remarkable talent on the pitch, regarded as a tricky speedster that loves to just run at defenders.
Ayew is a very unselfish player who looks to use his creative talents to lay on chances for his team mates, rather than selfishly going for goal himself, which is a rare quality amongst attacking players.
Swansea’s possession and counter attacking style of football suits the African footballers’ technical skills set perfectly, he would certainly ease the pressure on Gylfi Sigurdsson and offer an added creative spark in the midfield.
Similarly to his new Icelandic team mate, Ayew also weighs in with his fair share of the goals. During his career in France he scored 64 goals in 249 games, which is not to be ignored when you consider Ligue 1 is one of the stronger leagues in Europe.
During his time in France he would have come across Swansea striker Bafetemi Gomis. Both players would have learnt a great deal about each other’s style of play, and this will benefit Swansea hugely as the players look to develop a new relationship in the Premier League.
All the signs point to the player being a massive success in the Premier League. Andre Ayew possesses many of the best attributes needed to succeed in this league, and his past experiences will also play a major role in settling the player in his new surroundings.
Swansea have made one hell of a signing and should go into the new campaign full of confidence.
By Sean Caulfield
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