Recent transfer rumours seem to link Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor with a potential move to the Liberty Stadium this summer as Swansea City look to bolster their frontline for the upcoming Premier League campaign.
The 33-year old has good experience of playing for top teams in Europe and may just come in handy for Paul Clement next season. The ex-Spurs player is currently tied to his present club Istanbul Basaksehir for only one more year and has openly expressed his desire and passion to re-surface in the Premier League.
Paul Clement is apparently readying a bid of player plus fee to persuade the Turkish club to let go of their star player and the bid is believed to include French International Gomis and a £1.5m cash which should be enough to prise away the Togo International from the Turkish club. Although it does seem a bit strange considering Gomis’ shelf life is more than Adebayor and the Frenchman had a good season with Marseille.
Player stats
The 33-year old former Real Madrid player has played a key part in Basaksehir’s run up to 2nd place in the Turkish Super Lig, earning them a place in next year Champions League.
Once a dreaded forward and a top notch goal poacher, the Togo International had seen a dramatic demise in his footballing career due to his recurring personal issues and sheer lack of discipline on-and-off the field. Although having the potential to finish his career with any top club in Europe, his personal antics have made him an outcast at every club.
The player had featured in 16 games for the Turkish club, scoring 7 and assisting twice in the process which goes to show the striker still possess the potency to deliver upfront.
Standing at 6’3″ he is a credible threat in set-pieces and when crosses are whipped into the box.
With a pass success rate of 76% and a total of 9 key passes in his limited tenure at the Turkish League, the former Arsenal player still has it but his age means he can’t be used week in week out. (Stats via WhoScored)
What’ll he offer the club?
The player had once rubbed shoulders with the top talents of Europe and his experience and expertise of playing in the Premier League should not be underestimated at any point.
Although many might argue that the player would practically have zero resale value, one has to take into account that Adebayor is still lethal as a striker up front and his experience could come in much handy to rear up young talents in the team. We had seen from the likes of Eto’o (at Chelsea), Drogba (during his 2nd tenure with Chelsea) and Ibrahimović (at Manchester United) that experience does play a fair bit when it comes to playing in the Premier League.
Worth the exchange?
Adebayor could be a decent addition, but considering what Gomis achieved, it would seem non-sensical to get rid of him for someone who is 33 and is past his prime. Swansea should be looking forward, so signing players who can give their best should be the way to go.
