Asoro: Like lightning with an eye for goal
SWANSEA City have had a bid accepted by Sunderland for Joel Asoro.
Here’s the full lowdown on the man who looks set to make the move to the Liberty Stadium.
Who is Joel Asoro?
Joel Asoro is a 19-year-old winger who was born in Sweden.
He currently plays for League One outfit Sunderland, a club he joined from Swedish outfit IF Brommapojkarna in the summer of 2015.
The teenager has represented his country up to Under-21 level and can also play as a striker.
What is his current situation?
Asoro still has one year left on his current contract at the Stadium of Light.
But following a second successive relegation, the Black Cats have had a huge summer of change ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, with the likes of Paddy McNair and Fabio Borini among those to depart the club along with former Wales boss Chris Coleman who was axed in the dying stages of the previous season.
And it appears Asoro could be the latest to leave the North East, with the 19-year-old understood to have been the subject of a £2m bid from Swansea.
Reports in Sunderland suggest the youngster is keen to move on to pastures new, meaning he could become the Swans’ first senior signing of the summer following the captures of Yan Dhanda from Liverpool and Jordi Govea from Real Madrid.
Does he have much experience?
As previously mentioned, Asoro has amassed plenty of caps for Sweden’s age-grade sides, at both under-17 and under-21 level.
And he was only 17 when David Moyes handed him his Premier League debut against Middlesbrough in August 2016.
He was a first-team regular for Sunderland last term, playing 29 times in all competitions for the Black Cats, scoring Championship goals against Boro, Fulham and Hull City.
What qualities would he bring to the Swans?
Pace, clinical scoring prowess and composure. That’s according to the youngster’s profile on Sunderland’s official website.
It reads: “Lightning-quick Joel quickly settled into life on Wearside after signing for Sunderland in the summer of 2015.
“Hailing from Sweden, the under-17 international is an extremely exciting attacker who possesses great feet and composure.
“With seven goals in 14 appearances for the under-18s last term, Joel demonstrated a clinical scoring prowess, something he’ll be wanting to develop further during the 2016-17 campaign.
“David Moyes handed Asoro his Premier League debut in the first home game of the current campaign, against Middlesbrough. The front man then made his first start for Sunderland in the EFL Cup round two victory over Shrewsbury Town.
“Asoro has since been heavily involved in Simon Grayson’s plans, featuring in the Sky Bet Championship and the Carabao Cup.”
What’s the expert view on Asoro?
We spoke to Phil Smith, a football reporter at the Sunderland Echo, to get the full insight on the teenager.
“His primary asset is his pace,” he said. “He is lightning fast on the ball and off it. As such he’s very direct, he’ll pick up the ball and head straight for goal.
“He hasn’t yet fully nailed down a best position. On occasions he has played on the right wing for Sunderland as that dribbling ability means he his able to beat his fullback and get to the byline, with a few crucial goals for the club coming as a product of that.
“By nature, however, he is a centre-forward and that speed is obviously a real threat for defenders when he players off the shoulder and looks for the through ball to run on to.
“He is immensely talented but at this stage in his career he is still very raw. He has three senior goals and only a handful of starts.
“It’s still impossible to say at this stage whether he will be able to produce consistently over a 46-game Championship campaign.
“At Sunderland he benefited from being an academy graduate coming through in a tough time for the club.
“That earned him patience that you perhaps won’t get at Swansea where I assume fans will be expecting a push for promotion and a return on the outlay.
“I think fans will be disappointed to see him leave and if he fulfils his potential, it is a decent price for Swansea. He is definitely a player who can excite supporters with his pace but still has an awful lot to prove as a player.
“Sunderland fans would have loved him to commit his future and kick on this season, but once it became clear that was not his wish, it was time to cash in.
“It seems a good move in the sense that Graham Potter and his staff know the player well.
“He obviously has a burgeoning reputation in Sweden where Potter has managed and has played under-21 football long before reaching that age.
“The key for him is playing regular football, and if he gets that at Swansea then he will do well.
“It will be fascinating to see how he progresses and whether Potter can keep his feet on the ground and coax consistent performances out of him.”