Andre Ayew celebrates with Gomis
The Ghana forward finally made his Premier League bow on Saturday; how did he do?
After months of speculation, weeks of anticipation, Andre Ayew finally made his debut for Swansea City, playing the full 90 minutes of their Premier League opener against Chelsea.
If you’d forecast, several months ago, that Ayew would have lined up with the Swans for the 2015-16 season, I doubt many Ghanaians would have believed you.
The Black Stars forward shone for Olympique de Marseille last season—even as their Ligue 1 title tilt and Champions League aspirations came off the rails—and appeared destined to join one of Europe’s elite sides when his contract came to an end.
As covered forensically by Goal, the transfer future of Dede was a subject that enjoyed more than its fair share of twists and turns. At one point, he appeared destined to join AS Roma, at another, Liverpool—apparently the player’s club of choice—looked set to snare the talented free agent.
Sides such as Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and even Arsenal were all at one stage tipped to be keen on the forward, meaning that it was something of an anti-climax when he eventually signed for Swansea.
“Where?” cried Ghana fans in unison, “Wales?”
At the time, it appeared something of a reality check. If the Ghana star’s best offer was the Liberty Stadium and a side without a Premier League title let alone a Champions League hope, then what did that say about the nation’s talent?
As the summer wore on, and as Ayew’s transfer was placed into context, as a litany of stars from major leagues across Europe joined the EPL’s middle class—I’m looking at you Georgino Wijnaldum (PSV to Newcastle), Dimitri Payet (Marseille to West Ham United), Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord to Southampton)—Dede’s choice appeared to be typical of a growing trend and a burgeoning economic reality.
Indeed, perhaps the clues had already been there that Ayew would eschew one of his glamorous suitors—all high heels and short skirts—for a club with a little more in the way of philosophy and vision. In an interview given to the BBC, the player admitted that he would be open to joining any one of the Premier League’s top ten (Alan Pardew’s eyes lit up) as long as they were a club with a project that appealed.
Perhaps, in hindsight, certainly based on the evidence of their Premier League opener, Ayew has made a remarkably astute choice.
Swansea’s class ought to come as no surprise.
They are a club, as the clichés go, ‘doing things right’. They are a sustainable outfit, in touch with their fanbase, with a cultured approach, a progressive young manager—a former club captain on top of that—and who promote intelligent football.
They demonstrated against Chelsea in their EPL opener that hopes of besting last season’s eighth-place finish (itself a remarkable achievement for a team who were in the fourth tier a decade ago) may not be far-fetched at all.
To this aim—as he demonstrated against Chelsea—Ayew could be a key contributor.
The forward featured primarily on the right flank, leaving central creative duties to Gylfi Sigurdsson, while looking to test former teammate Cesar Azpilicueta at every turn.
There were early indications of how Dede will operate for the Swans and what he brings to the table—not least his 29th minute goal, which came after Thibaut Courtois had saved a Bafetimbi Gomis effort.
His technical poise and passing ability mean that when Swansea need to slow things down, preserve possession and re-angle their offense—an approach which can become something slightly more offensively-focused against teams in the bottom half—he can be a valuable fulcrum for the team.
When the ante needs to be upped slightly, Ayew possesses the vision to feed those ahead of him, and his relationship with Gomis—there was evidence of this on Saturday—could prove to be a key offensive weapon for the Swans moving forward. I am also intrigued to see how Ayew dovetails with Sigurdsson, one of the EPL’s key assist-makers last term, a genuinely underrated talent, and the player who will likely take the central creative berth in Garry Monk’s side.
The presence of the tricky Jefferson Montero—I suspect Branislav Ivanovic’s blood is still twisted—should help to open the play for the Swans, and ensure that Dede has adequate room in which to demonstrate his own desire to innovate, on the opposite flank.
Finally, when Swansea need to break, or at least attack with speed, modifying their approach even further, Ayew possesses the turn of pace, the explosive movement and the dribbling skills to be a genuine menace on the counter attack.
Most impressive, perhaps, was his assertiveness and his desire—even at this early stage, against such illustrious opponents—to take charge and to manage proceedings. I have often criticised Ayew for his overly-emotional response to certain situations—and I stand by those observations—but there is evidence that he is ready to resume his leadership role for OM and Ghana at the Liberty Stadium.
In this sense, he should prove to be a valuable asset indeed for Monk, while Swansea’s draw against Chelsea—many a fine team will drop points to the Welsh side this season—demonstrates that Ayew has joined a side with a genuine hope of securing Europa League qualification (and possibility challenging for greater honours) this season.
Roma can wait; for now at least, it looks like Dede made the right choice!
