Can Wilfried Bony revive his career at Swansea?

Transfer deadline day was a mixed one for Swansea City. They lost towering Spanish striker Fernando Llorente to champions Chelsea. However, they pulled off a major coup by signing Portuguese wonderkid Renato Sanches on loan from Bayern Munich. The Welsh club also re-signed former striker Wilfried Bony.

The signing of Sanches may be interesting, but it is the capture of Bony from Manchester City for £12million that could prove vital for the Swans. The Ivorian striker has big boots to fill in more senses than one after Llorente’s departure.

The big question is can the striker revive his career back in south Wales?

Career has stalled in the last 18 months

Wilfried Bony’s career has stalled since his January 2016 switch to City from Swansea for £30million. The fee was a big one back then and the striker seemed like a bit of a strange purchase, considering the attacking player’s City already had in their squad.

The former Vitesse Arnhem striker was always going to find breaking into the Citizens team nay on impossible, especially competing against City hero Sergio Aguero for the one central striker role.

The 28-year-old then took the decision to join Stoke City on loan last summer. The move seemed a perfect one for both parties. Stoke needed a goalscorer and Bony needed first team football.

Unfortunately, Bony was again frustrated as he made just ten appearances for the Potters, scoring twice for Mark Hughes’ side. It was not exactly the impact that anybody would have hoped the striker would have made in the Potteries.

A chance to rediscover his scoring touch

This summer Bony’s career was in limbo. City wanted to get him off the wage bill, while Stoke understandably decided against making his loan deal a permanent one. A return to south Wales seems like it could be the ideal opportunity for the striker to revive his flagging career in the Premier League.

Bony enjoyed great success at Swansea in his first stint with the club, scoring 26 goals in 54 Premier League appearances for the Swans. His performances for the Welsh side persuaded City to cough up a big fee at the time.

The Ivory Coast international was a major attacking threat for Swansea. He seemed to cause every defence he came up against massive problems in the season and a bit he was with the Swans.

He has looked a shadow of the player who looked so lethal in front of goal in Wales at his last two clubs. Lack of first team football in Manchester and Staffordshire may have caused a slight lethargy and lack of sharpness. Hopefully, once he gets playing he can start finding the net on a regular basis again.

Swansea needs a goal scorer

Following the departure of the aforementioned Llorente, Swansea needed to find a replacement for the Spaniard. Everybody connected with the club will hope that Bony is that replacement.

In truth, Swansea lacks attacking options. On loan Chelsea youngster Tammy Abraham has scored once and shown promise. However, he is just a youngster and will need time to develop in the top-flight.

Prior to the 2-0 win at Crystal Palace last time out, the Welsh side had failed to get a shot on target. It was obvious that boss Paul Clement needed to sign a striker near the end of the transfer window.

It will be interesting to see if the new arrival starts against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon, a game in which you can get odds of 15/8 for Bony to find the net. The Ivorian has not scored for a while in the Premier League, so maybe they are generous odds.

Wilfried Bony has endured a frustrating year and a half. Maybe a return to his first Premier League club will reignite his scoring touch and with it his career.

Can Wilfried Bony revive his career back at Swansea?