Swansea City are to be experiencing some major shakeups in the summer and there has already been some high profile departures. The club is in need to strengthen their ranks and the first priority is the forward position. With the departures of Eder, Gomis and Paloschi the Swans have to fill in the void up front and recent reports have surfaced which says that they have enquired about the availability of Leonardo Ulloa from Leicester City. While the target is not exactly what the club has recruited in the last couple of years, Ulloa is an experienced player and reliable forward. Swansea have recruited players from abroad with a good sell on value in their forward positions during their time in the premiership and interest on the Leicester City forward is thus a bit unconventional for their approach.
The Argentine forward scored six goals last season which is hardly prolific but all those six goals were highly significant and crucial. Two of those came against Swansea in a 4-0 victory and the forward was able to contribute every time he was called upon by Ranieri. The 29-year-old was used as an impact substitute and he did exactly that with his last minute goals at Norwich and West Ham United. With Jamie Vardy signing a new contract extension and the Foxes acquiring the services of Ahmed Musa, Ulloa would find it very hard to get into the first team next season and a move away from the King Power would be needed if he wants to spend more time on the pitch than on the bench.
Ulloa would bring goals to Swansea and the likes of Ayew and Sigurdsson would benefit a great deal from the striker’s ability to play as a target man. The Argentine doesn’t have pace but he makes up for it with his hold up play and is a threat in the air. His height would make him an ideal target man for wingers Montero and Barrow, if Guidolin opts to play on the break, and he would provide a much-needed physical presence in set–piece situations, both offensively and when defending his own goal. Guidolin’s counter-attacking style thrilled fans in the emphatic wins over Liverpool and West Ham towards the end of the season. Having spent a year impressing in Leicester’s unstoppable machine on the break, Ulloa could fit in well.
In the current market, £10m is a good price and Swansea would be paying a decent price for the transfer too. Ulloa would be a very consistent and dependable striker who will fit in well at the Liberty. The forward can lead the line and also provide the strength in depth if the Swans can rope in another one for the next season.
Guidolin knows all too well that Swansea can’t compete with the likes of West Ham who are willing to pay £30m for a striker so they would have to be smart in identifying their targets and at the moment Leicester City’s backup striker seems like a very decent option for the Welsh side.
