Swansea City endured one of the most intriguing relegation battles in the Premier League history last season. For a major part of the season, it seemed that they would be relegated in the end. However, the introduction of Paul Clement as the manager as well as their late dash which saw them getting four wins in their last five games did play an instrumental role in salvaging their status of being a Premier League outfit.
The optimism in their squad as well as in the minds of their fans would be sky high as they kick off English top flight’s 2017-18 season against Southampton away at St. Mary’s this weekend. Clement has indeed manoeuvred some astute signings with the likes of Tammy Abraham, Roque Mesa and Cian Harris making a move to the Liberty Stadium. However, the gaffer is far from being satisfied as one of the latest reports state that the Swans are plotting a deal to lure Stoke City’s Joe Allen to their ranks.
Allen was brought Stoke last summer for £13million and the 27-year-old registered a decent season with the Potters in the last campaign. He made 36 appearances and scored 6 goals in the process.
Besides, he also managed a pass accuracy of 82% and created as many as 27 chances too, and emerged as an indispensable player for Mark Hughes’ side. With the apparent interest from Swansea City, Stoke City have made it very clear that they aren’t willing to sell Allen this summer.
However, the Wales based club should up their bid in order to tempt Stoke City owing to the fact that their star playmaker in the form of Gylfi Sigurdsson is very close to making a move to Everton. Clement does need a proven Premier League veteran who would boost the spine of the team and add an element of spark from the middle, thereby enhancing the quality of their squad, and someone like the Welsh international perfectly fits their bill.
Allen is a player of fine calibre, and although he is more inclined to cater to the defensive aspects of his employers, he does create attacking endeavours and is completely a team player.
He tackles well, is an excellent reader of the game and plays a pivotal role in breaking the attacking surges of the opposition. Further, he is a potent counter-attacking threat, creates ample amount of chances for his teammates and without any shadow of doubt, Swansea City should leave no stone unturned to bring him back to Wales.
Statistics Credits: Squawka
