Swansea city and Ivorian forward Wilfried Bony has stated that he does not expect to leave the Welsh club this January amidst speculations of a winter transfer.
Bony moved to Swansea City in July 2013 from Dutch Eredevisie side Vitesse in a Welsh record transfer fee of £12m. His bright start to life at the English Premier League where he scored 16 premier league goals and 25goals in all competition in his first season for Swansea means there would be top English clubs jostling for his signature.
Top on the least of clubs chasing the 25-year-old powerful striker is Liverpool but Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side is also keen on bringing the Ivorian to the Emirate.
Bonny has however poured cold water on those rumours and speculations as he thinks his likely involvement with Ivory Coast in the Orange African Cup of Nations will not allow top clubs to come for his signature come January.
“If called for it I will go, so I don’t think any team will buy me,” Bony said
“I don’t know, but I don’t think so… because there is the Africa Cup [of Nations].”
The Africa Cup of Nations runs from January to early February and could see players involved miss up to a month of domestic football for their respective clubs.
Irrespective of Bony’s Nation cup involvement, I still expect clubs to be after his signature come January transfer window. Brenden Rodgers Liverpool’s side- a club where Bonny had trial in 2007 I, expect should be the the front runner for his signature.
With the departure of the prolific Uruguan Luis Suarez, Liverpool have found goals hard to come by. Daniel Sturrige has been struggling with injuries and summer signings Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert have not been firing at all cylinders. Both strikers have not had any league goal this season. Bonny will be an ideal player to get the goals for Liverpool.
He is a proven goal scorer. Won the golden boot at Vitesse in the Dutch Eredevisie scoring 31goals in 30 appearances earning him the best player award 2012/2013 season in Netherland. He scored 16 league goals and 25 over-all for Swansea city last season. Though he has only scored once for Swansea this season against Newcastle United.
He can score with both feet and very good in the air. He is also very good with shooting from long range which is what the current Liverpool strikers lack. He can hold up play and involve other attacking players and can run in behind the defenders to porch home those little tap ins.
He will surely give Brendan Rodgers’ side options upfront. And a deal in the region of £15 – £18 million should be enough to tempt Swansea to sell which is below or at par with what Liverpool paid for Balotelli. Regardless off the Nations cup Liverpool should make a move for this proven striker.
The Orange Africa cup of Nation- 30th Edition comes up from 17th January – 8th February 2015 in Morocco. Ivory coast currently sits third in group D of their qualifiers after picking just 3points from two games and will face DR. Congo in a home and away tie on 11th and 15th October.