GRIMES SIGNS NEW CONTRACT
IT remains to be seen whether it will come to pass but Wilfried Bony could be in a Swansea City matchday squad this weekend for the first time in nine months.
The Ivory Coast international has been back in full training over the last few weeks and manager Graham Potter recently confirmed that he and Jefferson Montero could be in his thinking for the trip to Bolton.
It has been a long, hard road back to fitness for Bony after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Leicester back in February.
Swansea had shown footage of him apparently training with the first team in August, but he has in fact only been fully involved in sessions since the closing days of October.
His future remains the source of much debate and uncertainty. His more than £100,000-a-week wages are considered unsustainable in the Championship, and he is out of contract at the end of the season.
Swansea would be ready to move him on permanently or on loan come January, but he will need game-time under his belt if any suitors are to be convinced of his fitness after he has been bedevilled by problems in recent years.
Potter has long stated he will be more than happy to have Bony in his plans and insisted Swans fans would see him wear the club colours in anger again.
And although his presence at Bolton is far from guaranteed, Potter believes the 29-year-old, who has regularly attended home games this season, can offer the sort of physicality his squad do not currently possess.
“He could be in the mix. We don’t want to put that pressure on the game or on him of saying ‘this is definitely it’ but he has been training SWANSEA City star Matt Grimes has signed a new contract at the club until 2022.
Grimes’ deal was due to run out at the end of the season but he now becomes the latest player to commit his future to the Swans, following on from Joe Rodon and Jay Fulton.
The midfielder or left-back has enjoyed a fine season so far, featuring in all but one of the Swans’ matches.
He had only made a total of seven appearances in a Swans shirt prior to this season following his move better and better every day,” said Potter.
“He has looked more comfortable in himself. Hopefully he has another good week and we will see.
“I think it’s fair to say we haven’t got somebody with Wilf’s attributes. His back-to-goal play is particularly impressive. He knows the game, he is good in the box and as a presence on the pitch.
“He is someone we can use, and it is positive to have him around the squad.”
Oli McBurnie has led the line for the Swans this year, and he already has seven goals to his name having netted three times in his last two appearances.
And Potter raised the prospect of fielding the pair together, believing they have the attributes to form a productive partnership.
“He and Oli could play together, no problem,” he responded when asked about the possibility of fielding the pair.
So will we see Bony again, and will he feature regularly?
There are a few factors to consider over the coming weeks, and the first will be that Swansea are not going to take any risks over Bony.
They cannot afford for him to suffer from Exeter in January 2015.
The 23-year-old endured a torrid loan spell at Leeds United during the 2016/17 season – a move which he admits shattered his confidence.
Grimes dropped down to League One Northampton last season on loan and has impressed Graham Potter since his appointment.
“I didn’t know where my future was heading this summer, but, as soon as the manager gave me a chance, I knew this is where I wanted to be playing my football,” Grimes said. another injury by being pushed too far, too soon.
Another injury will not help them in terms of having him available on the field or when it comes to potentially being able to find someone to take the former Manchester City striker off their hands.
So, should we see him again, as is starting to look more likely, then it is going to be small steps and a gradual build up of game time.
Clearly, if he is fit to play a part this weekend he is highly unlikely to start and a cameo appearance would be the only real possible action.
Swansea do have time available to ease Bony back in.
There are still nine games before the opening of the January window, the earliest he can leave the Liberty, and there are a further four league fixtures, plus at least one FA Cup tie, before that transfer window comes to an end.
That’s 13 league fixtures, nearly a third of the season, plus at least one additional game and potentially time for Bony to make his presence felt.
And another senior striking option would be welcome for Potter.
McBurnie has performed admirably, but he is getting through a prodigious workload in his first full season at Championship level and could do with a little help.
Courtney Baker-Richardson has found the net already this season and made a handful of appearances.
But having someone of Bony’s experience to bolster the attack and aid McBurnie would be an asset for Swansea, even if it were to only prove to be for a few months – the club have been linked with a January move for Ayr’s Lawrence Shankland.
And the bottom line is that no-one benefits if Bony does not play. He is taking up a significant chunk of the club’s wage bill and that money is effectively disappearing into a black hole if he does not get back on the field.
Similarly, the player, whether he wants to leave or stay, is only going to be able to showcase himself to potential suitors or to Potter by getting back to full fitness and finding some form.
What is harder to know is what a McBurnie and Bony partnership would look like.
The Scotland international is highly effective at dropping deep and linking play, before busting a gut to try to get in the box and offer an option.
He played in a withdrawn striker role to great effect against QPR, which could potentially allow Bony to play in advance of him and hold the ball up to bring others into play as well as being a constant target in the box.
The complicating factor there would be Bersant Celina’s excellent recent form at No 10.
McBurnie has also occasionally played in wide positions, as he did to great effect for Barnsley last season.
He and Bony could feasibly play as a straightforward two-man partnership, although it is rare for Swansea to play with a two-man forward line.
But the Scot’s versatility could mean a link-up is possible and it would certainly be intriguing to see how they would get on, even if it’s just for the short term.