If the unthinkable was to happen and Bony WAS to leave for pastures new, how would we cope?
Nathan Lewis returns to ponder how the Swans would look without Big Wilf up top
Throughout this transfer window, I've been a firm believer that Wilfried Bony will still be playing for the Swans next season. Michu apperas to be almost out of the door on his way to Napoli, and the thought of letting both him and Bony go is hard to comprehend, even with the signing of Bafetimbi Gomis.
When Spurs came calling, it was difficult to imagine the big Ivorian would leave for a side not playing in the Champions League next season. It made sense, surely, for Bony to stay in South Wales for one more season, prove he can consistently score goals and stay free of injury, then make a move to a top four side or a big team from a different country.
Clubs interested in our star striker would do well to remember that Michu has failed to stay fit and continue his impressive first season form. The threat of Bony leaving to Spurs did not worry me at all. The story is now very different however. If the rumours are true, and Liverpool offer Wilfried Champions League football, it becomes increasingly likely that we could be saying goodbye to last season's top scorer.
It hurts to even think about it, especially with an apparent £19m release clause. To see Bony leave for under £20m would be a bitter pill to swallow, with his market value surely being nearer the £25m mark. Or perhaps even more. It is now hard to ignore the possibility of Bony leaving, and plans will surely be prepared for life without Wilfried leading the line.
So what if he did leave? It would seem that there is a ready-made replacement in new arrival Bafetimbi Gomis. The Frenchman's goalscoring record is pretty decent and reasonably consistent, having scored 20+ goals in all competitions for the past 3 seasons. With Michu seemingly also on his way out, we would require at least one new striker as a back-up (or perhaps strike partner in a 4-4-2 diamond).
When Spurs came calling, it was difficult to imagine the big Ivorian would leave for a side not playing in the Champions League next season. It made sense, surely, for Bony to stay in South Wales for one more season, prove he can consistently score goals and stay free of injury, then make a move to a top four side or a big team from a different country.
Clubs interested in our star striker would do well to remember that Michu has failed to stay fit and continue his impressive first season form. The threat of Bony leaving to Spurs did not worry me at all. The story is now very different however. If the rumours are true, and Liverpool offer Wilfried Champions League football, it becomes increasingly likely that we could be saying goodbye to last season's top scorer.
It hurts to even think about it, especially with an apparent £19m release clause. To see Bony leave for under £20m would be a bitter pill to swallow, with his market value surely being nearer the £25m mark. Or perhaps even more. It is now hard to ignore the possibility of Bony leaving, and plans will surely be prepared for life without Wilfried leading the line.
So what if he did leave? It would seem that there is a ready-made replacement in new arrival Bafetimbi Gomis. The Frenchman's goalscoring record is pretty decent and reasonably consistent, having scored 20+ goals in all competitions for the past 3 seasons. With Michu seemingly also on his way out, we would require at least one new striker as a back-up (or perhaps strike partner in a 4-4-2 diamond).
The talk of Troy Deeney being chased for £5m is intriguing, but the risk of him not making the step up to the Premiership would be a particularly big one. We don't have a fantastic record in bringing in decent back-ups for our main striker (Itay, Alvaro, we're looking at you..), so the idea of finding one (or maybe more) strikers to fit into the Premiership is daunting.
All of our excited talk about 4-4-2 Diamonds and strike partnerships could be quashed if Bony were to leave, and we would surely be resorting to the traditional 4-2-3-1 with Bafetimbi up front and one of de Guzman, Shelvey or perhaps even Gylfi in the hole behind him. This would be good news for our midfielders and wingers who would be fighting for three central spots and two wide places. With Pablo seemingly on his way out, you would imagine a pacey winger would be brought in to supply Gomis with the sort of ball that he and Wilfried both love to get on the end of.
Maybe we'd manage without our star striker from last season, and the board will pull out an impressive signing to keep us moving upwards, but life with Wilfried Bony would be much preferable to life without him. While no individual is bigger than the club, it would be foolish to let Wilf go for a small amount of money.
All of our excited talk about 4-4-2 Diamonds and strike partnerships could be quashed if Bony were to leave, and we would surely be resorting to the traditional 4-2-3-1 with Bafetimbi up front and one of de Guzman, Shelvey or perhaps even Gylfi in the hole behind him. This would be good news for our midfielders and wingers who would be fighting for three central spots and two wide places. With Pablo seemingly on his way out, you would imagine a pacey winger would be brought in to supply Gomis with the sort of ball that he and Wilfried both love to get on the end of.
Maybe we'd manage without our star striker from last season, and the board will pull out an impressive signing to keep us moving upwards, but life with Wilfried Bony would be much preferable to life without him. While no individual is bigger than the club, it would be foolish to let Wilf go for a small amount of money.
We can only hope that either the release clause is more complicated than reported, or that the big Ivorian decides one more season in South Wales would be beneficial for his career. All we can do is wait and see...