Swansea City are looking to rival interests from Newcastle United and West Ham United for Stoke City’s £20m rated midfielder, Joe Allen. The 28-year-old is expected to quit the relegated side this summer and the Swans could facilitate a reunion. After all, it was at the Liberty Stadium, where the player made his name in England’s top flight under the then-manager, Brendan Rodgers.
When Rodgers made the switch to Liverpool, he brought Allen with him to Anfield, making the Welshman his first signing as the Reds manager.
However, Allen’s talents were not fully appreciated at Liverpool and more so when Rodgers got fired at the beginning of the 2015/16 season. The Welshman had his fair share of injuries and adjustment issues to the standards of a high profile club but did end up making over 130 appearances.
When he was at Swansea, Allen enjoyed high praises from fans and critics alike and was even pegged to be the Premier League’s next big thing. Standing at just 5 feet 6 inches tall, he defied all odds to outmuscle and outwork opponent players to the ball. His technical abilities were also primed for top-flight usage and it allowed him to drift in and out of tight spaces to formulate the team’s attacks.
It was just at Liverpool where the 28-year-old could not quite fit in. On his subsequent move to Stoke City in the summer of 2016, Allen came back to prove all his doubters wrong.
He made an immediate impact for the Potters by going on a scoring run of 6 goals and helping the team to a 13th place finish, instead of the bottom three. He was even named in the 40-man shortlist for the UEFA Team Of The Season.
It is unfortunate to see Stoke go down so easily this campaign, especially under a manager who has served the club for almost 5 years. Allen will have to make the hard choice of quitting the side in search of greener pastures. However, is Swansea really the best club to provide him with what he needs?
It has been a tough campaign for the Swans themselves and at one point, it was looking like they were set to go down by the end of the season. Though a battle of revival was fought under the tutelage of Carlos Carvalhal, it seems their bravado might not be enough for survival as they lost their last match to Southampton to see themselves in the 18th spot and almost relegated.
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Looking at the present scenario, it can be said that if Swansea somehow lose their next match on the final day of the campaign, they will be joining Stoke in the Championship next season making this transfer a pointless ordeal.
