Player Focus: Swansea & Gomis the Main Beneficiaries of Bony's January Exit

For any team, losing their star man comes as a blow, no matter how established a side they may be. Tottenham struggled in the wake of Gareth Bale’s world record move to Real Madrid, while 12 months later; Luis Suarez departed for Barcelona, with Liverpool suffering as a result. Similarly, Swansea could have been added to that list following Wilfried Bony’s big money move to Manchester City back in January. 

The Ivorian moved to Swansea from Vitesse back in the summer of 2013 and adjusted to the rigours of English football with ease, netting an impressive 25 goals in 54 league appearances for the Welsh side. Bony’s strength and eye for goal rendered him tailor made for the Premier League and he has certainly proven that during his two years in England. There was cause for concern, though, that the Swans would falter following his switch to the two-time Premier League champions. 

What many did not bank on, though, was Bafétimbi Gomis excelling in the wake of Bony’s move to the Etihad Stadium. The powerhouse Frenchman joined from Lyon 12 months ago, but was initially restricted to a peripheral role under Garry Monk, with 12 of his 13 substitute appearances for Swansea coming prior to the 2015 African Cup of Nations and Bony’s subsequent move to City. However, when handed a regular starting berth, Gomis has not disappointed. While he may have a modest 10 Premier League goals to his name, 9 of those have come in 2015, the fifth most this calendar year. 

This season alone, only Riyad Mahrez (4) has scored more league goals than Gomis (3). It goes without saying that the 30-year-old has been the primary beneficiary of Bony’s exit. Many tipped Swansea to toil through the remainder of the campaign once the Ivory Coast star departed for pastures new and early indications suggested that would be the case. In the first game following Bony’s move to City, Swansea were trounced 5-0 at home to Champions-to-be Chelsea, but recovered to secure an 8th placed finish and a club-record haul of 56 points. 

Monk’s side have begun the season in familiar fashion and are one of six teams unbeaten after the opening three games of the campaign. Five points from a potential nine so far could easily have been more after dominant displays at Chelsea and Sunderland, with Gomis a catalyst for their commendable start to the season. 

The Swans’ offensive foursome of Andre Ayew, Jefferson Montero, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Gomis have gelled quickly to help the team hit the ground running this term, with the former Lyon star spearheading the attack with aplomb. His general hold up play has helped him gain a statistically calculated WhoScored style of play of ‘likes to do layoffs’, while a pass success rate of 88.7% is the fourth best of Swansea regulars this term and given the calibre of attacking teammates; this aspect of his game is crucial. 

In the likes of Sigurdsson and Shelvey, Monk has plenty of creativity in central areas at his disposal, while Montero’s pace and dribbling ability means getting him on the ball as frequently as possible is essential to getting the better of opposition full-backs. Ayew, meanwhile, arrived with a big reputation for netting goals from a variety of positions across the final third and has not disappointed with 2 goals in his opening 3 league games. Gomis has the ideal support cast then, and has the capability to give defenders a torrid 90 minutes each passing week. 

Whether bringing teammates into play or going for goal himself, Gomis is a very effective focal point to utilise. Having fired in only 6 shots on target to net 3 goals - 1 of which resulted in Ayew’s debut goal against Chelsea - Gomis has been clinical, reinforcing his statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘finishing’. Meanwhile, his average of 1.7 successful dribbles per game, a return bettered only by Montero (3) of all Swansea players, highlights how capable a performer the Swans star striker is when in possession. 

Not only does this help drive Swansea forward, but eases the pressure on the defence, allowing those at the back to regain their shape when opposition sides are hoping to pin the Swans back. Furthermore, this attracts attention from opponents, who resort to desperate measures to halt Gomis, noted in that he ‘gets fouled often’ often according to WhoScored's statistically calculated styles of play, allowing for another route to goal. 

Either way, Swansea’s fine start to the season has largely been down to the performances of Gomis, whose WhoScored rating (7.52) is the third best at the club this term. Following Bony’s move to City, supporters had their concerns as to where the goals would come from. In Gomis, though, Monk has a frontman who, in this form, is capable of breaking the double figures mark for goals this campaign by the time the year is out.

What do you make of Bafétimbi Gomis' start to the current Premier League season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below