By Nii Ayitey Tetteh
It seemed for a while that it was becoming summer’s football soap opera, Andre “Dede” Ayew had attracted so many suitors, even more than Fernando would ever have in a typical Mexican soap. Today it was Liverpool, tomorrow Tottenham Hotspurs, then AC Roma the day before.
It thus came as a surprise when Dede finally put pen to paper at the Liberty stadium, signing a four year contract on a free transfer form Marseille to Swansea City on June 10, 2015. Jaws dropped! Swan what? Well, well, well, that was a surprise turn many journos and insiders didn’t see coming.
Naturally, Dede’s move has been subjected to close scrutiny. Downgrade! Challenge! Opinions haven’t lacked. And while you may respect opinions you can’t shake off the feeling that some of those opinions are simply grounded in emotions.
You can understand that for a lot of Ghanaian football fans, they were expecting Dede to sign and star for one of Europe’s elite rather than the mid table Welsh club. However, after a close examination, you would realize that the move indeed makes sense on three levels.
Moving to the English Premier League (EPL) is always a challenge even for the most established stars. Ukrainian star Andrei Shevchenko would have a thing or to say about that. Shevchenko moved to Chelsea from Italian giants AC Milan on a high horse only to crawl out after enduring a torrid time in the English game.
Even Brazilian Ramires, who had moved from Benfica to Chelsea in another high profile transfer, had a stinker of a first season before recovering in subsequent ones. The common element in both stories is about difficult transitions; not only from one country with a different culture to another, but to one with a different football philosophy; where emphasis is placed on the physical aspect as in the case of the English.
Another common denominator is that no matter the pedigree you carry with you to the EPL, success is not guaranteed, especially at a top flight club where you have to deal with a great amount of pressure to excel.
The above factors would have informed Dede in making a switch to the highly volatile EPL. Dede would have recalled his experience in the French game when he made a similar unfashionable move. To get more playing time, he made a step down from Marseille to Ligue 2 club, AC Arles-Avignon for the 2009/ 2010 season.
His form picked up, he excelled at the 2010 World Cup and rightfully returned to Marseille with respect and of course guaranteed playing time. That was a model that Dede probably didn’t forget and would want to replicate in the EPL; excel at a club that offers more playing time with less pressure and attract the more glamourous suitors in coming seasons. It’s all about bedding in nicely, isn’t it?
Great Piece of Business
This transaction was also a great piece of business for both parties: the player and the club. For Swansea, snapping up Dede was a major financial coup in a number of respects. Hear renowned coach, Harry Redknapp on the Dede transfer “An excellent free transfer. Had he not wound down his contract at Marseille he would command a transfer fee of around £15million.”
For Dede himself, this transaction came with its own rewards. The player is reported to have pocketed a signing on fee of £5.7 million according to French newspaper L'Équipe. Dede would also reportedly be paid £60,000 per week, making him the highest earner at the club. Clearly this transaction was a smart one by both parties; Swansea saved millions it would have hitherto paid for a similar player, while Dede laughed all the way to the bank. Now, isn’t that a million pound handshake? I am reaching out already.
Technical Reasons
When you consider Dede’s style of play you will understand why he favoured Swansea. Though primarily a left winger, Dede’s game has evolved as he now plays across the front three attacking roles; on either wing or as a number 10 or second striker. Swansea’s coach Gary Monk, is known to vary his tactics according to the opposition and would either employ a 4-3-1-2 where Dede can partner his friend Bafetimbi Gomis in attack as second striker or a 4-3-3 which would accommodate Dede as one of the front three.
Swansea’s technical approach is thus one of flexibility, one that would offer loads of playing opportunities for Dede to adapt to the English game while developing his game. He is a player who would guarantee you 10-15 goals per season either with his feet or even with his head. Dede who stands at 5’9 has been described as being deceptively good with his head. Swansea would have looked at the player with such a complete skill set and appropriately paid the dowry, Dede in turn said “I do”.
As with all marriages, the wedding is glamourous, the honeymoon is sweet, but it is the years down the line that would prove whether the union was a good one or not, until then, Dede and Swansea’s marriage checks all the boxes.
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(Culled from the 90 Minutes Newspaper)