Swansea City has reportedly agreed to a deal for Barnsley full-back Andy Yiadom. Some sources claim that the Ghanaian international is set to join the Swans at the end of the season after his contract with Barnsley runs out. It is believed that the defender rejected a new offer recently and the South Yorkshire club is now ready to cash in on his services when the transfer window opens next month. After initially asking for a fee in the region of £3m, the latest reports suggest that the Tykes are now willing to drop their asking price with Swansea City agreeing on a fee in the region of £2m for the 26-year-old defender.
It is no secret that the Swans has been a long-term admirer of the full-back after trying to secure his services in the summer. It is understood that the Welsh club has been successful in fending off competition from fellow Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion who has already scouted the player recently in the race for the defender’s signature. Yiadom was close to moving to Huddersfield Town in the summer but any potential move broke down due to his injury concerns.
However, the Swans, who already signed Alfie Mawson from Barnsley in the summer of 2016 for £5m, has kept tabs on the player regularly and have no concerns with regards to his health.
The potential arrival of Yiadom at the Welsh club will provide added competition for Swansea right-back, Kyle Naughton as they prepare themselves for a long and hard season in their quest to save themselves of relegation from the Premier League. The Swans suffered their 11th loss of the season on Monday night in their match away at Everton and currently find themselves rock bottom in the league standings.
Paul Clement’s men have tasted victory only three times in 18 Premier League matches and are now in real danger of getting relegated from the top tier of English football. One of the main reasons for their recent struggles is the fact that their backline has shipped in 25 goals in 18 league matches.
With some of their defenders getting complacent, it’s high time that the manager brought in a player who could push some of them for a place in the starting lineup. It looks like Andy Yiadom might just be the January arrival who fulfill the role as Clement hopes for a major turnaround in the new year. The Ghanaian full-back has notched up 12 appearances for Barnsley this season and has also bagged an assist during that time.
It remains to be seen whether he can be an ideal answer to Swansea’s woeful defensive issues.
