Ayew brothers are likely to stay up despite Swansea’s relegation

Unlike the Bundesliga, teams in the bottom three spots at the end of the English Premier League season end up dropping down to the Championship.

The teams that will miss next season’s league campaign are Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea.

However, some players on the aforementioned teams will stay up in the league and feature in the league or a team in Europe’s top flight divisions.

Xherdan Shaqiri, Salomon Rondon, Jay Rodriguez, Lucasz Fabianski and Alfie Mawson are players likely to stay in the division despite their teams relegation in the just ended season. Andre Dede Ayew and Jordan Ayew are among such players likely to be signed by a Premiership outfit.

Playing at the World Cup would have been a great exhibition for both brothers but Ghana failed to qualify for the first time since 2006. Conversely, the absence of international football plays into the hands of the Ayews as interested teams need not worry about either brother turning up late for the season due to World Cup exertions.

It also makes them prime targets for teams that will play in the qualifying stages of the Europa League next season. Neither brother experienced the past season with the same level of success as the younger Ayew- Jordan- had a great season in his first year with Swansea.

Aside emerging the top scorer for the club, he was named player of the season; his strike against Wolverhampton was named the best from Swansea to boot. Surviving in the league after Aston Villa went down in his first season in England following a move from Marseille, Jordan showed marked improvement in many facets of his game. His goal tally increased from seven to 11, he consistently performed well throughout the season and embraced a team first persona this time around.

In prior years and especially for Ghana’s National Team-the Black Stars- Jordan has been selfish on several occasions and had his commitment questioned.

The Swans inability to stay up has been pinned to his three game absence due to a dismissal which highlighted his importance to the team. His performances were erratic as they were spectacular but in Wales all seemed to come together making him a hot prospect on the market. High flyers Burnley will commence its Europa League journey early after placing seventh.

Lower tier teams that overachieve and make it to Europe tend to struggle as they juggle games on the continent and several on the home front. Fulham’s struggles and subsequent relegation after European runs quickly come to mind. Burnley needs to invest in players to maintain its production on multiple fronts and improve its goal tally in the upcoming season.

While Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood did well to get vital goals for the Clarets, adding Jordan Ayew’s speed, playmaking and goal scoring touch improves the team’s striking options. The former Villa man looks to be a perfect fit for Mark Hughes’ Southampton side as ideal options for Shane Long and Charlie Austin.

The likes of Everton, Crystal Palace, Huddersfield and even Liverpool-as replacement for either Danny Ings or Dominic Solanke- could make a move for Jordan. While the prospects of his younger brother are high this offseason, Andre’s prospects are murky following a bad run with West Ham since his high profile move from Swansea. A return to Wales in midyear did not work out well either as his efforts could not prevent the Welsh team from dropping to the lower tier.

But the older Ayew can be confident of playing in England’s top flight as well considering several players with little contribution have stayed in the league longer before dropping out. On the surface, the EPL is an unforgiving environment where intense pressure forces management into several managerial and player changes.

Players like Kenwyne Jones and Victor Anichebe spent several years in the league despite churning out fewer goals and top performances than Andre Ayew. Should he end up outside England, players spat out from the EPL tend to be in high demand elsewhere in Europe.

That is mainly down to their improved performances for such clubs. Mathieu Debuchy, Wabil Khadzri, Florian Thauvin have been in superb form the past season in the French league after failing to stick around in England. Arsenal and Newcastle flops, Debuchy and Thauvin are now in contention for places in France’s World Cup squad.

Alvaro Negredo is in great form in Turkey likewise Andre Ayew’s former teammate Bafetimbi Gomis. Swansea is set to play in the Championship next season but their brotherly duo will stay put in top-flight European football.