Wilfried Bony
Swansea City surprised many when they announced the signing of Wilfried Bony from Dutch side Vitesse. Many Premier league clubs were interested and it seems that the highly rated forward was persuaded to joining the Swans by Michael Laudrup. The transfer is a club-record fee of £12m and shows that Swansea want to continue the progression they have made over that last few seasons and will need more strength in depth if they are to compete in Europe this season.
Bony was in stunning form last season which alerted many clubs around Europe notching 31 goals in 30 league games and assisted 8 times. Bony made his Swansea debut just last week against Malmo FF where he netted twice and set up Pozuelo’s goal. The striker could be a massive coup for the Welsh side and form a strong partnership with last year’s surprise package Michu.
Nathan Redmond
Chris Hughton raided his former club for highly-rated winger Nathan Redmond in a deal thought to be around £2m. It was Hughton who gave Redmond his league debut for Birmingham at the age of 17 and is considering giving him his Premier league debut when Norwich face Everton on the 17th August at Carrow Road. Norwich have competition for Redmond with the likes of Anthony Pilkington, Elliot Bennett and Robert Snodgrass all looking to start for the Canaries this season. At just 19, the Birmingham born winger has already played over 60 games in England’s second tier and also experienced playing in Europe following Birmingham’s Carling cup win back in 2011.
Redmond possesses sheer pace and can be a tricky customer on the wings, under Hughton’s guidance he will develop his ability to contribute more of a goal threat and create chances for the Norwich forwards including Gary Hooper who has recently signed from Celtic. An exciting signing for Norwich and considering the price tag it is a no-risk move from Hughton.
Source: DSG
